


Put On Your War Paint

by fayeelizibeth



Category: Fall Out Boy
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-30
Updated: 2014-01-27
Packaged: 2018-01-06 17:03:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1109334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fayeelizibeth/pseuds/fayeelizibeth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>this is FICTION. and it’s very weird.<br/>i wrote it, only in the way that it was my fingers running over the keys, but  really, i’m blaming this all on my muse, whom i think i’ll call asshole, for making me thing about and talk about nothing but this fic for the last few days.</p><p>ok, a little background, in this universe there are no girlfriends, no kids, and no good writing, the rating is like, pg-13 right now? there’s swearing, and implied drug use, that’s it really for ‘bad stuff’ right now. people are tied up, but not sexy-like. this may be way ooc. good luck. please please please tell me what you think, especially #spazztrick, #folieahurley, and #ornawentz. Thank you for reading (anyone who reads this, i thank you).</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Faye, kidnapping is wrong.” Stephanie says,

“I know that! But what’s going to happen to them if we don’t do something?” Faye replies, getting a little angry at her friend for not understanding the gravity of the situation.

“What the hell are you suggesting?” Stephanie is definitely loosing her patience.

“I’m not saying ‘kidnapping’ I’m just saying…rescuing.”

“Rescuing?”

“Yeah, we’ll just rescue them, to keep them safe, we’ll explain to them what’s going on, and they’ll thank us”

“Yeah, and then they’ll be stuck on the run for how long? Faye, I don’t know about this…”

“Just, call Taylor, I’ll get a hold of Mackenzie, we have to do this, we’re the only hope, we’re the only ones who know what’s about to go down, what the hell is gonna happen if we don’t do this?”

“Go down, seriously, Faye? What’s going to ‘go down’?” Stephanie rolls her eyes, but she gets her phone out and dials Taylor.

***

And that’s how it started. Now, at Faye’s house, Andy is locked in a room all alone. Pete and Patrick are tied to chairs in one room, and Joe is sitting on the sofa, looking very alarmed, but slightly high, and someone handed him a 6-pack of Angry Orchard, so not nearly as alarmed as he could be.

“Pete”

“Yeah Patrick”

Their voices are loud in the small dark room.

“Pete, what the fuck happened?”

“I think, I think we were kidnapped, Patrick. I think our bus was stolen. I think we are tied to chairs.” Pete wriggles against the bonds “Definitely tied to a chair, do you need any more information?” Pete is surprisingly calm and sarcastic for a man tied to a chair.

“I got that. what the fuck! What the fuck!” Patrick is not nearly as calm, and starts freaking out almost immediately

“Pat, Patrick, calm down.”

“How the fuck can I calm down, Pete? Huh? We are kidnapped. We are kidnapped!” Patrick starts to cry.

“Oh, Patrick, ‘Trick, stop, stop” Pete is trying to be comforting, but it’s hard from the other side of the room.

“They aren’t going to hurt us.”

“How the fuck do you know that? What the fuck, Pete!” Patrick may be loosing his temper

“Because, I think, they’re fans.”

“WHAT?!” Patrick is incredulous, and a little bit breaking apart, tears streaming down his angelic face.

“ ‘Trick, listen, I think they’re crazy fans, I think we can fix this; listen.”

Patrick falls silent, only his ragged breathing breaking the silence.

Outside the door he can hear two girls’ voices, they’re whispering and they sound a little angry, a little scared, but it definitely sounds like girls.

Calming down a half a degree, Patrick starts: “It sounds like girls, Pete, but – ”

Pete interrupts: “I heard them, before, while you were…sleeping…” Pete declines to mention that Patrick was likely drugged, the reason he kept complaining about his cereal tasting funny last night becoming apparent.

“Yeah?” Patrick sniffles.

“Yeah, Patrick, they were talking about us, and they didn’t seem…murder-y, crazy, maybe, but not dangerous.”

Patrick starts to cry again, this is really not how he wants to die “Pete, I don’t, I don’t want to die like this, Pete, we, we gotta get out of here” Patrick is sobbing again, getting snot all over his denim shirt.

“Patrick! Stop it! I think we’ll be fine, we just have to play along, can you do that, buddy?”

“Yeah” Patrick says

“Yeah, buddy, yeah, I think we’ll be ok, they really don’t sound so bad if you listen for a while”

Patrick doesn’t believe him that their captors aren’t so bad, but he also starts to listen more intently to the whispers he can hear.

It sounds like a few two girls. They’ve stopped whisper-arguing about whatever they were talking about, and two voices are getting louder.

“Faye…I really don’t like this…”

“Steph, he’s in here, behind this door, maybe scared half out of his mind, but he’s here, and he’s safe. We saved him.  _You_  saved him, you did that, Steph.”

“Faye, I don’t want him scared! He’s not gonna believe that we saved him, he’s just gonna think we kidnapped him.”

“Well, are you ready to go in there and try to explain it to him? Because he’s not getting any less scared with us standing out here, we can’t explain it if you won’t go in there.”

Patrick is angry, scared, and does not want these two girls to come in here. He does not. He wants nothing to do with them. Pete watches the door intently, eager to see what he’s up against.

The door handle turns slowly and a girl’s voice can be heard, sounding hugely loud after listening through the door

“Pete, Patrick,” she says before she comes in the door, “We aren’t going to hurt you I’m really really sorry we had to do this, ok…we have a really good reason, I promise!”

She slowly pushes the door the rest of the way open

Pete looks up at the girls entering the room, pissed as shit that his best friend is upset, and it’s all their fault, while trying to take in what he’s seeing.

It’s two short girls, they can’t be more than 5 feet each, one with reddish hair, one with a blonde and pink braid laying across her shoulder. The redhead is wearing skinny jeans and a soul punk shirt, the other is wearing dark gray sweatpants and an oversized clandestine tee.

The redhead grabs the other’s arm “Faye, I can’t do this, Faye, he’s so…”

“He’s right there.” Faye gestures to where Patrick is sitting.

“I know – ” the redhead starts to cry, the blonde rolls her eyes.

“Stephanie, pull yourself together, and just tell him why we had to do this.”

“Tell me what?” Patrick interjects, still looking sad, but now a little more confused than terrified, probably because he’s realized that his captors are small and female, and quite obviously not out for blood. The Soul Punk shirt is a dead giveaway that Pete was probably right, they are fans, albeit insane ones.

The redhead cries again and buries her face against the blonde’s arm.

“God, Steph, I know, this sucks” -the blonde pets the redhead’s hair gently.

“WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON!” Pete yells, stilling everyone else in the room for a few seconds.

After a moment, Faye responds, looking pointedly at Pete “Ok…that was…warranted.” leveling her eyes at the handsome bassist. Stephanie has stopped sniffling for the time being, still clutching Faye’s arm.

“I thought you said to calm down” – Patrick whispers, turning to Pete.

Pete gives him a look of death before staring down Faye

“Who the fuck are you? Where the fuck are we?  What the fuck is going on?” He punctuates each swear with a look that could practically kill, and Stephanie hides behind Faye to avoid that look.

Faye gestures, bringing her hand through the air in front of her “Ok, ok, ok, I know, this sucks, majorly, but we, well, we’re fairly small, and if we didn’t tie you up I was really afraid you would hurt us, or run away, and the plan would fail, until we could explain ourselves, so, I’m sorry about that, first.”

Pete looks unaffected, still staring daggers, like he would hurt her now if he could, so she continues.

“I’m Faye, this is Stephanie. We rescued you. I know it doesn’t look that way right now, but we did. We learned…some things…that you don’t even want to know, but suffice it to say, that people wanted to hurt you, or kill you, because of the band, we didn’t know how to get you out of there. There wasn’t a lot of time. We sorta…took over your bus and then we…”

Stephanie elbows her and she stops – “not the whole plan” – she hisses though her teeth.

Faye nods at Stephanie and wraps it up: “Ok, and now you’re here, the end. And I’m really sorry.” Faye looks at Pete, who still has the expression of a police dog right before it’s let go to rip someone apart. Her in-charge attitude slips and for a moment she’s every inch just a very scared little girl, in way over her head, but then Stephanie pulls on her shirt and she’s composed again, standing up straighter.

“Ok, so, I can’t untie you right now, if I untie you before you believe me, I’m getting my ass kicked. But, ok, we brought you water and food, and we can bring you to the bathroom. Ok?” Faye tries to explain, all the words tumbling out of her. She’d really like to untie Pete, like, really, but she also would like to not get her ass handed to her by a disgruntled bassist.

Patrick sniffles, bringing everyone’s attention on him once again; “Food?”

“Yeah, we brought pizza!” Stephanie excitedly dashes out of the room and appears a second later bearing 2 boxes of pizza. She whispers to Faye behind her hand.

Faye looks Patrick up and down, the tears drying on his cheeks, his shirt wet and messy, looking in general fairly pathetic at this moment, and she nods to Stephanie, “yeah, sure, you can untie him, go ahead.”

Stephanie grins huge and walks behind Patrick, not able to meet his eyes, she goes to work on his bonds, and in seconds his hands are untied. He sits still, mostly because Faye is standing in front of him, looking as intimidating as a 5-foot tall chubby girl in sweatpants can look.

“You are not to run, you are not to hurt her, and you are not to untie Pete, do you understand me, Stump?”

Patrick nods up at her, rubbing his entirely unmarked wrists.

Faye rolls her eyes. “It’s silk rope, your wrists are fine.”

“Silk rope?” He squeaks “– why?”

“Yeah, almost like I wasn’t lying, and I really don’t want to hurt you. Like maybe we really are rescuing you, and I’m not crazy.” She turns to Pete on the last statement, making it clear she could hear him through the closed door.

Stephanie glares at Faye, she wishes the other girl would be a little nicer, and goes down to her knees to untie Patrick’s ankle, and Patrick reaches for the other, feeling the soft rope in his hands, feeling more and more that Faye isn’t lying, that she really didn’t want to hurt him. His eyes meet Stephanie’s for a second and she gives him a moment of a shy smile before finishing untying him and standing up. Stephanie pulls a handkerchief out of her pocket and hands it to Patrick, he takes it and whispers “Thank you.” their eyes meet again, it’s a moment of sweetness amid the tension. And then Pete clears his throat.

No one is untying Pete, and that’s a bit of a problem.

“Are – are you going to untie Pete?” Patrick looks up at Faye, expectantly.

“Not while he’s looking at me like he wants to rip my throat out, no” Faye says.

“Untie me you fucking bitch” – Pete rasps, quiet and angry.

“So yeah, no” Faye half-grins, her entire expression sarcastic, but Patrick can see the tears threatening to spill behind her cool demeanor, Patrick is nearly sorry for her.

“She’s not a bitch” Stephanie whispers under her breath, barely believing it herself, but wanting to stand up for Faye. She knows how hard Faye has worked on this plan, how hard she worked to rescue these boys, what she risked, and what she lost, and Pete being, albeit justifiably, mean to her friend is kinda shitty.

Patrick is still sitting in his chair, looking between Pete and Faye, but he’s hungry, and thirsty, and really has to pee, so he looks up at Stephanie,

“May I go to the bathroom?” he asks.

“Yeah, sure” Stephanie says, turning to Faye as if asking permission; Faye nods, then looks at Patrick.

“I’m gonna be real clear, don’t try anything. If anything happens to Steph between here and the bathroom it will not be ok with me, do you understand?” Her voice is commanding, despite her small stature.

Patrick nods, he just really really has to pee

Stephanie and Patrick leave the room and Faye watches from the door, but Patrick remains on his best behavior. They turn into the hallway and Faye lets out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding.

“So, Pete.” She says, dragging the chair that Patrick had occupied over near Pete and sitting down on it – “Would you like some pizza, or am I too much of a bitch?”

“Iwouldreallylikesomepizza” Pete says, because he’s angry, but he’s also hungry.

“Hm?” Faye tilts her head, hearing him but wanting him to ask again, she knows she’s playing with fire, but whatever, he already hates her, there’s nothing she could do about that now.

“I would really like some fucking pizza” he growls out.

“Ok, I’ll let you have some, but don’t bite me, ok?” She says almost gently, opening the nearby box and picking up a slice. Here you go, she says, offering him the piece, and he bites off some. It’s awkward, and Pete still looks pretty angry, but less hungry, when Stephanie and Patrick return.

Stephanie sits on the floor by the other pizza box and gestures for Patrick to do the same, and he does, when Stephanie opens the box, Patrick practically dives into the box, inhaling rather than eating. Stephanie giggles, “Slow down, it’s not going anywhere.” Patrick looks sheepishly at her and slows down his attack on the pizza to a more normal pace, although he’s still really hungry.

“Um, how long have we been here?” Patrick asks

“Like 12 hours, you were out for most of the day” Faye says casually.

Patrick’s eyes widen at Stephanie, and she nods her agreement, and maybe a little of an apology.

“That wasn’t Stephanie’s idea, that was all me, don’t be mad at her.” Faye says, “There was no way I was getting all four of you out here, and Taylor said if I drugged Andy she would kick my ass for forcing him to break straight edge, so if I had to deal with him sober, I had to do something to you two to make you less…difficult…it was just Nyquil, but there was a lot of it.” Faye is definitely sorry by the end of that statement, but really she hadn’t see any other possibility at the time.

“You have Andy?” Pete was incredulous, not interested in his second piece of pizza anymore.

“Yup, Joe too,” Pete looks at her with crazy eyes, it was unbelievable to him that this little bitch had kidnapped all of them

“What? Did you think I would let –them – ” she spit out the word with venom – “hurt any of you? You think I would just rescue you two? How the hell would you be Fall Out Boy without Andy and Joe?”

“Where are they?” Pete asks.

“Andy is just down the hall, and Joe is sitting on the couch, I think he’s getting high,” Stephanie interjects, her voice small after Pete and Faye’s more explosive exchanges.

Pete and Patrick both look at her like she’s crazy.

“Hey, he believed us, so he didn’t have to be tied up.” Stephanie says, slipping a piece of pizza out of the box and digging in.

Pete sighs, a longsuffering sigh that somehow communicates how very pissed off he is that his hands are still tied behind him. “Fine, explain this to me, explain to me why the hell I’m tied to this chair, and why you have my drummer locked in a room, and why you made my singer cry”

So Faye and Stephanie explain. Half finishing each other’s sentences, half verbally tripping over each other. Stephanie takes out her phone and shows Pete Fall Out Boy’s webpage. It’s now a page with an official government letterhead at the top, and a few paragraphs about how music has been declared illegal. There’s a war against music. It was announced last night via all major news channels, with footage of some famous musicians arrested in the early morning hours out of their tour busses, homes, and hotel rooms. The ‘why’s aren’t defined in any of the official information, but it is clear that music has been outlawed. Patrick takes Stephanie’s phone out of her hands and starts flipping through news sites, his eyes getting bigger, and he stutters: “So, so this is real?”

“I’m afraid so” Faye says, head down.

“Seriously, untie me” Pete says, sadness tinting his voice.

“You believe us now?” Faye asks. At that moment a brunette with impeccable eyebrows peeks into the room.

“You didn’t untie him yet?” she asks, running into the room and right over to Pete. She starts untying the rope at his feet “I’m Mackenzie,” she says, looking up at him, before moving to the back of the chair to untie his hands.

“Yeah, he didn’t believe us” Faye tells her, keeping a close eye on Pete as Mackenzie unties him and he brings his hands in front of him.

“Hey, ‘Trick, can I see that phone?” Pete says, reaching for Stephanie’s phone. Patrick hands it to him, and he scrolls through it, “oh wow” He whispers, dropping the phone on the floor and putting his face in his hands “Patrick, what are we going to do?”

Mackenzie rubs Pete’s back, trying to be comforting.

“Mackenzie, did you take care of the bus?” Faye whispers.

“Yeah, I did” Mackenzie whispers back. After getting the guys to Faye’s house last night, Mackenzie had driven the bus several hours away, set it up with a mechanic’s tool to go 5 miles per hour, jumped off the bus, and then watched it slowly roll off a bridge…they would have several days before the cops got it out of the bottom of the lake and analyzed the wreckage, time they could use to get the guys somewhere safer than Faye’s house, and time to form a plan.

They sit in silence for a moment, Pete and Patrick absorbing the information that they are apparently fugitives.

“I’m sorry, Pete” Mackenzie says, throwing her arms around him. Pete rests his head against her, slightly in shock.

Patrick lies down on the floor, too overwhelmed to do anything else, and Stephanie lightly pets his hair.

After a few moments, Faye speaks up “Ok, we can sit here and be sad forever, but at some point, they’re gonna find that bus, and then they’re gonna start looking for you guys. We have to have a plan” everyone looks at Faye for a minute and she’s really worried that she’s going to have to be the one to make up a plan, when they hear a crash from the kitchen.

“Shit, shit, shit” they hear, and Faye runs out of the room, Mackenzie, Pete, Patrick, and Stephanie following. They find Taylor in the kitchen, tomato sauce spotting her t-shirt, all the knives on the floor, but miraculously no blood.

“Are you ok, Taylor?” Stephanie asks, and Taylor nods, looking down to the floor, amazed that she hasn’t chopped off one of her toes.

“Yeah, I was cooking, for Andy, and I, uh – oh, you untied them?” Taylor says.

Mackenzie smiles, “Yeah, now we just gotta make a plan and save rock and roll!”

Patrick looks at her and bursts out laughing. Then Pete’s laughing, and then they’re all laughing. Really it’s amazing that they hear pounding on the door to the spare room, and an angry drummer yelling “Let me the fuck out of here!”

Pete turns to the door, and looks to Faye, Faye nods, and then Pete opens the door, throwing his arms around Andy, who’s expression softens instantly upon seeing his bandmates. Patrick and Pete fast start explaining the situation to Andy, who goes from anger, to shock, to understanding, to looking around the room at the girls who kidnapped/rescued them, first worried, then accepting.

Taylor picks up the knives she dropped carefully, setting them all on the counter. She speaks up over the explanations and ‘oh wow’s “Uh, I made pasta, if anyone wants any.” Andy looks at her carefully

“Vegan?” he asks.

“Yes” she says, smiling, her multi-colored bangs falling in her eyes.

“Well, that’s the best news I’ve heard today” he says, crossing the room and grabbing a plate.

Joe steps into the room “Wow! You guys!” he says, wrapping Patrick in a hug “How messed up is this?” Everyone looks at him and he changes topic “So…is there more beer in here?” he says, turning to the fridge.

Andy sits at the kitchen island counter and digs into the pasta, Joe sits on the stool next to him, new beer in hand, and they all start talking animatedly, trying to make plans, trying to make sense, and in general making a lot of noise.

The girls lean on the other side of the kitchen island all in a row. Faye nudges Mackenzie with her shoulder and gestures to Pete, and Mackenzie smiles when he grins at her. Stephanie kicks Faye lightly and draws her attention to Patrick, who still has her handkerchief in the front pocket of his shirt, and Taylor can’t stop watching Andy.

It had been hard, and it was a huge risk, and they were all outlaws now, but they had done it. They had saved Fall Out Boy. And, all in all, they were so fantastically happy it had gone as well as it had.


	2. Put On Your War Paint, Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Same as before, this is FICTION. and it’s very weird.  
> in this universe the guys don't have their canon girlfriends or wives or kids, because it's fiction, and i wrote it, and i said so. Still swearing, still drugs (nothing hard, just pot)  
> I'm thinking this will turn into about 7 chapters, all told? so be on the lookout for more if you're at all interested in poorly-told stories :-P
> 
> PLZ LEAVE COMMENTS THEY GIVE ME LIFE. thanks.

Eventually they all end up in the living room, eating the last of the junk food in Faye’s house and playing Streetfighter on the Playstation 2.

Mackenzie, Pete, Faye, and Joe are sitting on the couch, passing one controller and a bag of Doritos between them, while Andy and Taylor and Stephanie are piled onto the smaller sofa, digging into a bag of chips and salsa. Patrick is sitting cross-legged on the floor in the middle of the room, finishing off the pizza and so far owning everyone at the video game, much to everyone’s surprise.

“It’s my turn to be Ryu” Pete says, reaching over Mackenzie’s lap to grasp at the controller in Faye’s hand.

“No way, you lost, and now it’s my turn, it’s my game” Faye laughs, shoving Mackenzie into Pete’s side. She gets the feeling that the younger girl wouldn’t mind being pressed against Pete, and the grin she gets out of her only affirms that suspicion.

“Besides, no one can beat me” Patrick says around a mouthful of pizza. Stephanie shakes her head with a smile on her face, as Faye picks out her character (Cammy, she always picks Cammy).

“Ok, Stump, let’s go!” Faye says, prompting Patrick to hit start.

The game is over fast, with Faye winning two KO’s nearly perfectly. Patrick stares at the screen, “but, but, but” he says, turning to Faye “I lost.”

“Yeah, that happens sometimes, sunshine, someone else had to have a turn. Hand the controller to Steph” Faye smirks smugly, watching Patrick sheepishly pass the controller to Stephanie.

“Ok, so about this ‘war on music,’ what do we know?” Andy asks the room. Faye and Stephanie immediately turn to the tv, putting way too much focus on the screen, so Taylor speaks up.

“Well, we know that some musicians were arrested, we don’t know why, and we know that all music videos were taken off youtube – ”

“—and the radio stations aren’t playing any music either!” Mackenzie interjects.

In the meantime Faye’s lost the game to Stephanie, so she gets up and gives her controller to Andy, who’s still listening to the long-winded explanation that Mackenzie has launched into.

“So yeah, basically, you guys are outlaws, and we’re outlaws for helping you” Mackenzie wraps up her speech.

“Yeah, ‘helping’” Pete says, sarcasm tinting his voice “felt a lot like kidnapping at the time, though” he says and elbows Mackenzie, who grins.

Faye looks over at Pete, “oh yeah, I hear tons of kidnappers use silk rope for the comfort of their victims, tons…”

“Where does one obtain silk rope?” Patrick asks innocently.

Taylor laughs “Faye already had it…” everyone turns to Faye. Faye blushes bright pink and hides her face behind her hand.

“Uh, well, I…well…um, so – ” what was sure to be a hilarious confession is interrupted by three loud knocks at the door.

“POLICE, OPEN UP!”

Instant chaos erupts.

“Fuck!” Stephanie shouts, standing up and grabbing Patrick’s arm “Pete, come here” she says and shoving them into a nearby closet despite their protests.

“Hide!” Taylor hisses, scrambling with Andy to the cabinet under the stairs and ducking in behind him, closing the half-door behind them.

“Quiet! Everyone, Quiet” Faye says in a stage-whisper.

“POLICE! OPEN THIS DOOR OR I’LL OPEN IT FOR YOU!”

Joe looks up at Faye and Mackenzie from the couch, with a ‘what the fuck am I supposed to do?’ look on his face. Stephanie throws a green knit beanie across the room at Joe’s head, Mackenzie grabs a pair of sunglasses, and Joe quickly tugs the hat over his head. “Hide your damn hair” Faye whispers as she turns to open the door.

“Hello, officer!” Faye, Mackenzie, and Stephanie say in near-unison as the door opens. Faye rolls her eyes because that was so not-smooth. But the smile remains plastered on her face.

“What the hell is going on here?” the police officer says while striding into the living room like he owns the place.

“Nothing, officer, just chilling” Faye smiles _with a few fugitives_ she doesn’t say.

“Why didn’t you open the door?” the cop says, his eyes circle the room, and he seems to breathe all the available air. Joe offers up a shallow wave as the cop’s gaze rests on him for a moment. The cop glares for a second, and then glances at Stephanie, in particular the shirt stretched over her chest.

“What the hell is ‘soul punk’?” the cop grates out, not taking his eyes off her chest. Stephanie looks at him and crosses her arms, covering the logo.

“None of your business, but one of the best albums ever made” Stephanie says, her voice tight, staring the cop down. Faye’s jaw drops. Mackenzie jumps next to Stephanie.

“She’s just, upset, officer, the, uh, announcement was, it was a little sudden.” Mackenzie puts her arms around Stephanie, grinning at the police officer. The police officer looks her up and down.

“Yeah, yeah, well, have any of you seen this man?” the cop takes a picture out of his pocket, moving through the room to stand in front of Joe. It’s grainy, and slightly crinkled, but as he shoves the picture in Joe’s face, and the girls look over his shoulder, they realize it’s definitely a picture of Pete. Joe half-gasps, erupting into coughing when the officer’s eyes focus on his face.

“No, no officer, haven’t seen anyone like that around here” Joe manages to choke out. The cop looks at them, suspecting something, his gun glinting in the dim light.

“Well, we’re looking for him, apparently he’s the ring-leader of a bunch of these music peddlers” Faye hides her face against Stephanie’s shoulder (Faye really doesn’t like police in the best of circumstances, when they are inches from a guitarist in a world where guitarists are illegal, well, she’s really freaking out). The cop pockets the picture again and starts looking around the room, studying anything that seems out of place.

Luckily for all of them, Mackenzie speaks up “So, officer,” she says, coming around the couch and tossing her arm around him “there’s obviously no one like that here, just a few friends playing games” she smiles up at him, all perfect eyeliner and feminine smoothness “Can I get you anything?”

The cop sputters, “No, nothing, I have to go, more houses to check, you guys behave” he points at Stephanie’s shirt “and get rid of that one’s shirt, the next time I come here I won’t be so lenient” if looks could kill, Stephanie would have him dead, but instead he just smiles lecherously and turns to the door. Before he leaves he whispers to Mackenzie.

“Oh, yeah, sure!” she says, all sweetness and light, and turns to Faye and whispers behind her hand “where the hell is the pot?”

“What?” Faye whispers back, not at all sure what she’s getting at.

Mackenzie lowers her voice an octave, practically growling “the asshole wants a bribe, where the hell did you hide the weed?”

“oh…uh…under the stairs” Faye says, and turns to the cabinet under the stairs. Mackenzie’s eyes get huge, but she turns back to the cop and smiles.

“Just a second officer, she’s getting it” and Faye has to move to the half-door under the stairs, she opens it slowly, the open door blocking her from the cop’s view.

Taylor and Andy are still hiding there, Andy glares at Faye while Taylor hands her several baggies of dark green. And Faye slams the door. She hands the packages to Mackenzie, and Mackenzie transfers them to the waiting officer.

“Well, then,” he says, pocketing the handful, “You all have a pleasant evening” he nods to the room as he leaves, and Mackenzie shuts the door behind him.

It’s completely silent for a solid minute. They hear the car starting, and then pulling away, and turning down the driveway. Faye sinks to sit the floor.

Stephanie is the first to speak “What a fucking asshole” and Faye and Mackenzie burst out laughing. Half because it’s funny to hear Stephanie curse, half because they are just so thrilled to have made it out of that alive. With that Pete and Patrick manage to open the door to the closet, tumbling over each other. Joe turns to catch them climbing off each other.

“Oh my god, fans would have a field day with that, Pete and Patrick tumbling out of the closet!” Joe laughs and points and Patrick glares. At the same time, Andy and Taylor get out of the cabinet under the stairs and Andy glares at Faye.

“I am so so so sorry I hid you in the pot closet” she says, looking up at Andy, eyes big.

“Was, was that all of it?” Joe interrupts, making everyone turn to him “Seriously, guys, was that all the weed?”

“And, I’m sorry I gave away all the pot,” Faye says, turning to Joe “just so I know, is there anyone else I need to apologize to?” her voice short, loosing patience. Everyone just stares at her for a second, and she turns and stalks off, muttering “stupid fucking band” under her breath, and slamming the door to her room.

Everyone exchanges glances, and Stephanie and Patrick are the first make a move to follow Faye down the hall and gently knock on the door. “Faye, come out,” Stephanie murmurs against the door, and the door opens and Faye lets them inside. Everyone else sits back down in the living room, Taylor checking the windows and drawing the shades, Pete starting up the game again, and they play quietly. In a few moments Faye comes out, with Stephanie and Patrick leading her.

“I’m sorry I lost my patience” Faye says, staring at the ground. Everyone mumbles something about it being ok, and it sorta is. Faye sits down on the couch and the game reconvenes, and when it’s Faye’s turn she wins, so she ends up playing, like, three rounds, and the mood lifts. Andy stops glaring, Pete finally gets a turn (which he immediately looses), Patrick wins against everyone else, and Taylor suggests ordering Chinese food for dinner.

It’s when Faye comes back in the room after paying the delivery driver for dinner, and sees everyone, Mackenzie sitting between Pete and Joe on the couch, Taylor and Stephanie sitting on either side of Patrick on the little couch, and Andy sitting in the middle of the floor holding a controller and arguing with Pete over who gets to play as Ryu this time, that she smiles. Because it’s really worth it; this stupid band really is worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there are a few places here where it would make sense for other brief scenes to appear, i'm thinking someone telling what goes down in the cabinet when Taylor and Andy are hiding, what Stephanie and Patrick say to Faye when she's getting pissy, and really anything going through anyone's head at any point. If you are so inclined, feel free to write those things, just make sure to let me know, because i would LOVE LOVE LOVE to read them.


	3. Put On Your War Paint, Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter, same as before in that this is FICTION! not real! promise.  
> \--enjoy--

Night falls and Faye’s small apartment is dark, just a Hello Kitty nightlight in the hallway so no one trips on the way to the bathroom. The room smells like the dollar-store incense that Faye lights before turning off the lamps, and the floor is covered in sleeping bags. Faye goes into her own room to sleep, but everyone else has laid claim to a scrap of floor and a pillow (or, in Pete’s case, two pillows). There’s quiet mumbling, like at a sleepover, like they’re not fugitives, just a bunch of friends, relaxing at the end of a normal day, not waiting out the genesis of a plan that will set their world right again.

One by one, they fall asleep, first Andy, who snores, until Joe kicks him in the shin, then Mackenzie, angling her sleeping bag towards Pete’s when she thinks no one is looking, then Pete drops Stephanie’s phone, which he’d been using to watch the news, the drone of the newscaster blinking out as the phone goes into power saver mode. Eventually only Patrick and Stephanie are awake, Patrick laying flat on his back, staring at the tracks the smoke of the incense makes in the nightlight’s glow. Stephanie is counting her breaths, trying hard for sleep.

Patrick and Stephanie’s sleeping bags are laid out in an L shape, heads nearly together, with Stephanie mostly under the coffee table; Patrick starts to reach a hand towards her, then stops himself. Instead, he whispers “Hey, hey Stephanie, you awake?”

“Yeah?” she whispers back, and turns over on her stomach and leans up on her elbows, facing him in the dark “what’s up?”

“So, about Soul Punk” he says, shifting to lay on his side, leaning on one arm, catching the glint of her eyes “Did, do you mean that, what you said earlier? ‘One of the best albums ever made’?”

“Actually, it might just be _the_ best” she smiles, forcing herself not to turn away from his eyes.

He grins and looks down for a second, his hair flopping over his forehead “You really think that?” he whispers, looking back up at her, biting his bottom lip.

“Of course I do!” she says, maybe a little too loudly, as Taylor grumbles in her sleep on Stephanie’s other side. Stephanie whispers again “of course I do, Patrick, it’s, like, my soul album.”

Patrick closes his eyes for a second, when he opens them, his eyes meet Stephanie’s and he’s smiling “that, that really means a lot, Steph” he says, laying back down, still facing her “thank you so much” he reaches a hand towards her carefully, tentatively.

Stephanie reaches out and grabs his hand in the dark. Their clasped hands resting on her pillow “thank you…” she whispers quietly.

“PURPLE! DRAGONS!” Pete exclaims, and sits straight up, breathing heavy, breaking Patrick and Stephanie’s moment.

“Pete, you’re dreaming, go back to sleep” Joe murmurs without opening his eyes or moving his head. Pete lays back down, and within seconds his breathing evens and he’s back out. The room is quiet once again. Everyone drops off to sleep this time, even Stephanie and Patrick, still holding hands.

The clock ticks down the hours as everyone sleeps. At about 3am, Faye comes out of her room, wearing panties and an oversized tee-shirt, hair in two braids. “Hey, hey Steph” she whispers, shaking one of Stephanie’s feet in the sleeping bag. Stephanie sits up and hits her head on the coffee table she’s under.

“Ow, Fuck! What the?” Steph says, rubbing her head.

“Sorry, sorry. Steph, I see lights outside.”

“You see what?” Taylor says, head popping up from the floor full of sleeping bodies.

“Faye, put pants on” Mackenzie grumbles, glancing towards her. Faye rolls her eyes.

“Seriously, guys, I think I hear a car outside” Faye whispers desperately.

Joe’s head pops up, eyes big “No, no, guys, I hear it too”

“SHhhhhh” Faye hisses, finger to her lips. Patrick has woke and is listening too, and Joe is shaking Pete awake. Taylor pokes Andy, who grumbles and rolls over, not waking up. Taylor starts giggling when they hear a definite, loud, noise coming from outside.

It sounds like a car, peeling out of the driveway.

“What the fuck…” Faye says, louder, carefully stepping over everyone to get to the window in the front of the room.

“Seriously, Faye, pants, you should look into it.” Mackenzie says as Faye steps over her. Faye ignores her pulls the curtain from the window.

“That’s definitely a car leaving” Faye says, Stephanie and Taylor scramble to the window and see brake lights turning down the driveway.

“Does it smell weird in here to anyone else?” Andy says without opening his eyes.

“Yeah,” Pete says “It smells like the van, but with more girls, and cheap incense.”

“No, no,” Andy sits up opening his eyes, “It smells like, fuel?” he breathes in.

Suddenly there’s a loud boom towards the kitchen, and they all jump.

“What the – ” Patrick says, and everyone turns to look down the hallway. There’s a red-orange glow and now everyone can smell the fire.

“SHIT!” Faye yells, running to her room, she comes back out in a second, tugging on a pair of pajama pants and stepping into her sneakers strewn in the middle of the floor, “Ok, everyone out! Steph, Kenz, Taylor, you know the drill! GO! GO!” in seconds, everyone is up, Mackenzie tugging Pete’s hand to drag him to his feet, Joe grabbing Steph’s phone from the place where it had fallen beside Pete when he fell asleep, and Andy standing quickly and looking around.

“GO!” Faye yells again, “I’ll meet you all there in a few minutes, I have to go to the basement and get the safe” she runs towards the basement door, towards the growing fire, as Steph throws open the window they were all looking out earlier and struggles to free the screen. Patrick comes up behind her and throws his shoulder into the screen, breaking a hole in it then tearing it out.

“Well that works” Stephanie turns to him as she climbs out the window, with him holding her hands and lowering her as she drops to the ground a couple feet below. Patrick follows, falling backwards as his socked feet hit the grass. Taylor climbs out after Patrick, and Mackenzie shoves Pete out before she jumps gracefully, landing on bare feet. Andy takes a moment, grabbing Joe’s shoulder.

“C’mon,” he says, trying to drag the taller man out the window.

“But, Faye?” Joe says, staring down the hallway, at the open door that Faye ran through.

“She said she’d be right back, trust her, c’mon!” Andy says, getting a little more insistent.

“Go!” Joe says, shoving Andy out the window, tossing Stephanie’s phone after him; Andy lands on the ground with a grunt and the phone lands on his chest.

“Where’s Joe?” Taylor asks Andy as he sits up.

“He went to get Faye” He answers, brushing grass off his pants.

“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” Mackenzie shouts, “We gotta go, we gotta get up into the woods, c’mon.” Mackenzie runs, towards the place they agreed they would meet if something like this happened, hoping.

\---

Joe steps down the stairs to the basement, he had to walk way too close to the fire already consuming the back of the house for his own comfort, but he has to see that Faye makes it out ok.

“Faye!” he yells out, choking on smoke and the smell of the damp basement. “Faye!” he shouts again, tripping over a box, reaching out his hands catching himself before his face hits the clammy cement floor.

“What the? What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be running!” Faye says, coming up to him and pulling him to his feet with one hand, the other arm wrapped around a safe.

“What was so important?” he says, gesturing towards what she’s holding with eyes half-angry, half-concerned.

“Just, c’mon!” she says, dragging him towards the stairs into the house. She gets about halfway up the stairs before realizing that’s not an option, red and orange flames licking the doorframe. “oh shit…” she says, stumbling down the stairs. This is so not good.

“OK, ok, ok, Faye, is there another door?” Joe says, just barely stopping her from falling down the stairs.

“…no…” she replies, shaking her head, breathing heavy, looking up at him. It smells more like smoke and the heat’s making the basement feel humid and sticky and gross.

“Ok, is there a window? Something?” he says, looking at her, eyes big.

She nods frantically and moves across the room, stepping around boxes, to the one dingy half window in the basement. It’s over her head, but Joe is taller, this could work.

“Just one second,” she says, and sets the safe on the ground. She returns in a second with a shovel and pushes Joe aside to bash out the window. Joe looks at her.

“That’ll work” he says, picking a piece of glass out of his hair.

She shakes her head “Sorry” she half-smiles, picking up the safe and tossing it out the window. She hears it hit the ground with a thud and then gestures for Joe to climb out.

“Oh hell no, you are not to be trusted inside a burning building by yourself” he smiles a little and interlaces his fingers to make a step for her to reach the window. She opens her mouth to protest. “No, Faye, no. Now c’mon, it’s getting hotter than hell in here” he grins without moving and she has an overwhelming urge to smack him upside his head “You first, get up.”

At that moment they hear rafters falling, and turn to see fire on the other side of the basement.

“Hurry!” Joe says, and boosts Faye out the window. Faye climbs out of the window onto the grass. She can hear more things falling, and the fire is lighting up the dark sky. It’s hot.

She reaches back and helps Joe up, bracing a foot against the window frame. She drags him out, and they lay on their backs on the grass for a moment, breathing in air not tainted by basement mold.

“Is that the big dipper?” Joe says, breaking the silence. Faye smacks his shoulder, still staring at the sky, and he grabs her hand in his. She turns her face to him, noticing that they’re lying really close.

“Thanks, Joe, I don’t know how I would have gotten out of there” she says, swallowing down the fear of what could have happened.

“What’s so important that you had to go back?” he asks gently.

“Oh! This!” she says, sitting up and grabbing the safe “It’s copies of all you guys’ albums, including all your hiatus projects.” Joe looks at her questioningly “we had to save the music” she whispers, wrapping her arms around the metal box.

He reaches for her, a small grateful smile playing on his lips, when they hear more crashing, and another section of the house falls into the basement, reminding them that they’re sitting about five feet from a burning building. She jumps up.

“Oh shit, we have to go.” She says.

\---

Taylor pulls Andy up the hill next to Faye’s house. “C’mon, Andrew!” she says, “we’ve got to get away from here!”

“But where are they?” Andy says, standing up straight and refusing to move another step.

Stephanie glances back to the house as another crash sounds, and they watch as the rest of the house goes up in flames. Pete and Patrick glance at each other, not speaking, but clearly imagining the worst. Mackenzie sinks to sit on the ground. They all quietly watch the house, holding their breath. No one wants to say –

“Hey, guys!” Joe’s shout rings out as he and Faye come crashing through the woods just off to the side.

“God, Joe” Patrick sighs, wrapping him in a hug. Faye grins, holding out the safe to Mackenzie. Mackenzie grabs it, sets it to the side, and pulls Faye down to her in a hug.

“We were so worried” she whispers as Taylor and Stephanie join the hug.

Faye stands first, breaking the hug, “Ok, we have to get to the campsite, ok? it should only be about a half hour walk from here” the girls smile and nod, Stephanie wiping a tear off her cheek.

“Camp?” Andy says, nudging Taylor’s shoulder.

“Yup, we planned to go there soon, but not…” she stops short, not really wanting to reference their current predicament.

“There’s food and water and clothes hidden there, we were going to bring more, but I guess what’s there will have to do” Faye says, forcing a smile.

“It’s just a stopover before we head up to my family’s cabins” Stephanie steps in “But that’s in Michigan”

Pete turns to Mackenzie and whispers “Remind me where we are again?” Mackenzie giggles and shakes her head.

“Upstate New York. Remember, you were scheduled to play a show in Albany?” Mackenzie whispers back, turning to him, his eyes look even bigger in the moonlight filtered through the leaves of the trees of the deepening woods.

“Feels like a million years ago” he whispers back, shooting her a cautious half-smile and following her up the trail to the camp.

They start walking into the woods, Stephanie’s phone geocaching app the only navigation. At one point Patrick looks over Stephanie’s shoulder to see the screen, and the campsite is marked out as ‘save rock and roll.’ He grins and wraps an arm around her as they walk. Faye carries the safe until Joe takes it from her, smiling. Andy cocks his head in question and Joe explains what’s in it quietly.

It actually takes more like an hour to reach the campsite, no one had accounted for bare feet and the fact that eight people walk a lot slower than one person, but finally they reach it and visible relief washes over the little band of outlaws; yet another close call avoided, one more day to plan to try to save the world.


	4. Put On Your War Paint, Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i've mentioned, but i'll say it again, this is fictional.  
> the 'war against music' they're fleeing from is more like the 'war on drugs' than it is like like ww2 or something. i don't know if i've made that clear or not before this, but yeah.
> 
> again, please LEAVE COMMENTS I LOVE THEM! thanks.

“So, I have a question” Pete says, taking Stephanie’s phone out of Patrick’s hands. Patrick glares but lets him have it.

“What?” Patrick says sharply, lifting an eyebrow as Pete’s fingers fly over the glowing screen.

“No, not for you,” Pete smiles at Patrick, who continues to look less-than-amused. “Mackenzie” Pete says, turning to her, “Where is everyone else’s phone?”

“oh…uh…”Mackenzie sputters.

The large campfire they had built earlier that evening illuminates her face, throwing her features into sharp relief; it was a really pretty effect which did nothing to hide her slightly alarmed expression.

“Your phones were, uh, on the bus” Mackenzie continues, cringing.

“Why? – ” Joe interjects.

“No, no! there’s a reason” Stephanie interrupts.

“You girls and your reasons” Pete rolls his eyes, finally handing the phone back to Patrick. Patrick takes it with glee and flips the screen back to his Angry Birds game.

“No, really” Mackenzie says, turning her lined eyes to Pete (if you thought Mackenzie would stop lining her eyes because of a silly thing like being a fugitive on the run, you would be dead wrong) “Really, Pete, we didn’t want them to be able to trace you guys, so I got rid of the phones” Pete pouts at her, and everyone is silent for a moment, reminded of the reason for their impromptu campout.

“But I did save something…” Mackenzie says quietly, smiling, turning to Pete.

“What?” Faye interjects “Kenz, you were supposed to just get rid of the bus, we can’t let them trace us.”

“I know, I know, but you saved the albums in that safe, and, well, I couldn’t help myself” Mackenzie smiles bigger, standing to her feet and grabbing Pete’s hand, pulling him out of his poutiness. “C’mere, Pete, help me get the surprise” she says as she leads him into the woods just outside of the circle of firelight, leaving the other guys and girls sitting there, slightly confused.

Mackenzie pulls the startled Pete behind her, turning on a flashlight she had hidden in her pocket and pointing it at the tree line “Where was it?” she mutters to herself, turning around a few times before settling on a direction.

“Why are you dragging me into the woods?” Pete mutters, his hand grasping Mackenzie’s as she leads him forward through the trees, he really doesn’t want to be lost in the woods. Mackenzie squeezes his hand.

“It’s right here, I know it is, it’s just, there!” she says, running the last few steps to a large pile of leaves. She tosses the flashlight to Pete and begins digging through with her hands, Pete stands back, tucking the light into the pockets of his tight jeans. When she uncovers the top of a big black storage trunk, he drops to his knees and helps her. She turns to him and smiles, unclipping the red snaps on the trunk and throwing open the lid.

“Oh my god, you…” he turns to her, disbelieving, then smiling, his eyes catching the moonlight.

“Faye may have saved the music, but I saved the instruments” she says, lifting his black and red bass out of the box reverently and holding it out for him.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” he nearly shouts, wrapping her in a hug, with the bass squished between them. He pulls back, kissing her quickly as he takes the bass out of her hands. Her hand goes to her lips, and he’s already fitting the strap around his shoulder, fingers on the strings. He looks at her, all smiles and she regains her composure in a moment to smile back. “Seriously, Mackenzie, thank you, this means so much…” he says, biting his bottom lip.

“You’re welcome, Pete” she says, smiling, meeting his eyes, ‘wow he looks beautiful in moonlight’ she thinks, just as he leans in and kisses her again, stealing her breath for a second. He pulls back, one hand has reached up to rest at the back of her neck, the other hand still cradling the neck of the bass. She opens her eyes and she can only see him, deep eyes and full lips and hair sticking up a little and scruffy facial hair growing in.

“Pete” she whispers, resting her forehead on his and closing her eyes again.

“We should get these back to the guys” he whispers, his fingers drawing tiny circles on the back of her neck.

“Yeah, yeah we should” she whispers back. But instead of moving to stand up, she leans in and kisses him again. This time she tangles her hand in his hair, and when he breaks the kiss with one of his smiles she smiles back.

“Ok, let’s go” he says, standing up, offering his hand to her to lift her up. He sets his bass back in the box and Mackenzie flips the box closed and they each take a side of it, walking back in the direction of the campfire.

As they reach the edge of the light thrown by the fire, Patrick turns to see them, hearing the twigs breaking under their feet. He gets up to help.

“What’d you got there?” Joe shouts from across the clearing. Patrick and Pete drag the box into the light and open it, and Joe runs over, picking up his guitar gently from the blankets Mackenzie padded them with. He thanks Mackenzie over and over, hugging her and smiling, as does Patrick. Andy glances into the box, it’s clearly not big enough to hold a drum kit, but his face breaks into a smile when he sees his practice pad tucked into the bottom and a box of his custom drumsticks. Faye wraps Mackenzie in a big hug

“Thanks, ‘Kenz” she says, happy tears playing at the edge of her eyes.

“But, how are we going to play them?” Patrick says, his white guitar hanging from the strap around him.

Mackenzie leans down and unwinds the blanket in the box from a set of tiny miniature batter-powered amps. “These will work” she says, smiling, handing them out.

“Will they?” Joe says, looking doubtful, then he plugs his guitar into his and strums a few chords. It does, in fact, work, and his eyes light up at the sound. Mackenzie also has a little box of guitar picks, and soon the guys are all sitting around the fire, quietly playing Young Volcanoes and smiling bigger than they have for several days. Patrick isn’t using his stage voice, his voice is smaller and lower, the whole song pitched an octave down.

Taylor is the first to join in, her full voice rising with Patrick’s, and Patrick grins her at her through the chorus. At the next verse, Faye starts singing too, leaning her head on Taylor’s shoulder. Andy looks over at Taylor and Faye, and smiles at Taylor as he taps out the drum line on his practice pad. She smiles back at him, missing a few words, but picking up the song at the next line, a little bit louder. Eventually everyone joins in, and it’s a sweet moment, male and female voices, quiet electric guitars, and the beat tapped out evenly and surely.

The guys set their instruments down after a few more songs, and the group commences to making s’mores. It had been Taylor’s idea to supply the campsite with vegan marshmallows, and Andy appreciates it, making perfect s’mores and passing them out while Pete burns marshmallows and claims he likes them better that way, licking the sticky mess off his hands and handing his marshmallow stick to Mackenzie.

A little later and everyone is settling down. Sleeping bags are pulled out of their hiding places, and pillows are distributed. The night sky is the only thing above; they’re forgoing tents because (one) they entirely forgot to set them up until it was already dark out, and (two) it’s warm enough out that they were deemed unnecessary (it’s July in Upstate New York). Mackenzie’s sleeping bag is decidedly close to Pete’s this time, and they’re whispering to each other in the dark. Andy has brought his drumsticks into his sleeping bag, not taking his hands off them. Andy turns over and asks Taylor: “So, we’re going to Michigan tomorrow? Stephanie’s cabins?”

“Yeah, well, we’re gonna start heading that way” she turns to him, her sleeping bag is dark green, which he notices with a smile in the fading firelight.

“Is your sleeping bag Packers green?” he says, reaching out to touch the edge of it.

“Yeah,” Taylor giggles, “and the lining is yellow, that’s why I picked it”

“Cute.” he grins at her for a second “G’nite, Taylor” he says, looking at her for a second before turning over to sleep. She smiles and lays her head down and is asleep in a few minutes, hearing the fire crackling and crickets chirping.

Faye lays in the dark, listening to everyone’s sounds of dropping off to sleep. And the sounds of the Upstate New York woods, crickets and little peeper frogs and every once in a while a howl in the distance of a coyote, far enough away that she’s not worried about their little camp being bothered. She gets up to poke at the embers of the dying fire, stepping carefully over her sleeping friends.

Faye sits by the fire, poking the fire and nibbling on a graham cracker that didn’t make it into a s’more. The sounds of the night hide her soft crying. She’s upset that her house burned down, upset that she has to run away to Michigan, upset that her life has been turned upside down, but mostly upset that she even feels this way. She should just be happy to be alive, happy they saved the guys, happy that her friends are safe (although their regular lives are ruined too). But, well, it’s just a lot of things to go on in a few short days, and it’s overwhelming, and so she cries.

 She doesn’t hear Joe climb out of his sleeping bag, so she jumps a little when he wraps his arms around her. “Shh” he whispers, holding her tighter. She turns to see his profile lit by the orange light of the dying fire, his hair pulled back into a ponytail.

“I’m sorry, it’s just, it’s just a lot to deal with” she whispers.

“I know” he says, lowering his face to her shoulder. His next breath in is shaky, and she figures he’s upset too. After a moment he sits next to her, pulling his arm around her and she rests her head on his shoulder. When she looks up at him, his eyes are wet. She snuggles into his side.

“This kinda fuckin’ sucks” he says quietly.

“Yeah” she whispers, “yeah, it does.” She sighs “It’s gonna be ok though”

“How?” he whispers, looking at her like she might actually have an answer for him.

She looks down at her hands, breathes in and says “I just know, I don’t know how. But I know.” She looks up at him and gives him a little smile “I’m always right about these things.”

He half-smiles at her “Fine, fine, I’ll trust you.” he sighs “I hope you’re right, Faye.”

\---

In the morning, they discuss the way they’ll get to the cabins. Faye and Joe and Pete and Mackenzie will take public transportation, a patchwork of trains and busses, tickets bought in advance with cash; Stephanie, Patrick, Taylor, and Andy will pile into Stephanie’s car, which has been hiding in a garage in Albany thanks to Faye’s parking pass from her old job.

They pack up the camp, the instruments go back into the box. The sleeping bags get tossed into a bags, clothes and shoes in backpacks. Hiking out of the woods, the plan is to call a couple cabs when they get to a main road.

And they’re off, not really knowing what they’ll do when they get there, but on the way to the cabins in the woods, and hopefully, a plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> those tiny amps are a real thing: http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MS2R  
> vegan marshmallows are also a real thing.


	5. Put On Your War Paint, Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this is the fifth installment. this is the road trip chapter.  
> it's fictional. remember that.
> 
> leave comments, they make me happy. thanks.

At the Rensselaer train station, Pete and Joe stand next to Mackenzie, Pete’s got a Yankees cap pulled down over his forehead, and Joe has a beanie on. Good thing beanies can be passed off as a hipster thing. Mackenzie is buying them coffee, keeping an eye on Faye, who’s talking to a big guy in paint-splattered jeans and a camo tee shirt. Faye and the guy hug, and then they start walking across the open lobby.

“Who’s that?” Joe whispers to Mackenzie.

“He’s her…he’s Faye’s friend” Mackenzie says, as Faye and the guy approach.

“Mackenzie, you’ve met Rabbit” Faye says, nodding.

Mackenzie nods with a little smile “Zak, hey.”

“Hey” Zak replies.

“And, uh, Joe, Pete, this is my friend Rabbit, er, Zak” Faye introduces him around and Joe and Pete shake his hand. Him and Faye stand next to each other and Joe glances at Faye’s star tattoos on her arm, noticing that Rabbit has matching tattoos on the outside of his arm. The train is announced, and they have to go. Rabbit waves, leaving the station as Mackenzie, Pete, Joe, and Faye make their way to the waiting train.

\- - -

It’s two hours into the trip and already Taylor is getting on Stephanie’s nerves. Only ten to twelve hours to go, traffic willing.

“Go go go go go go YES!” Taylor shouts again, kicking into the back of the driver’s side seat.

“Please knock it off.” Stephanie says, her mouth in a tight line. Patrick looks at her from the passenger seat, a slightly worried look on his face.

“YEAH!” Andy yells, punching the air behind Patrick’s seat’s headrest, or, no, punching the headrest.

“OW!” Patrick says, turning to look at the overenthusiastic pair taking up the back seat. “Can you two please calm down? It’s just a game.”

Taylor and Andy look up from Stephanie’s phone with matching expressions of disbelief on their faces. “Just a game?” Taylor says “It’s the fourth quarter, we’re only down by one point, there’s 30 seconds left.”

“Taylor!” Andy says, pointing her back to the screen

She looks down to see the Packers score on the tiny screen. They’ve won. The backseat cheerleading squad of two erupts in happy shouts. Andy abruptly hugs Taylor and kisses her cheek. Taylor smiles, touching her cheek where his beard scratched against it.

Patrick looks back in time to catch Taylor’s happy shocked look, and Andy staring back at the phone, completely oblivious to the fireworks going off in Taylor’s brain. Patrick smiles and shakes his head. At least the game is over and they’ll be a little quieter now.

\- - -

 “So, um, Faye, who was that guy at the station?” Joe asks. They’re on the train about halfway to Buffalo, New York, where they’ll take another train to get further west. Mackenzie and Pete are dozing in the seat in front of them, Mackenzie’s head resting on Pete’s shoulder.

“Rabbit, er Zak, he’s a good friend. Hey, I got you a present!” Faye says, turning away from Joe’s questioning eyes and digging through her purse.

Joe is conflicted, part of him really wants to know if the matching tattoos are just a coincidence (seems unlikely), but another part of him really likes presents. Faye turns back to him, a smile on her face and her hands closed tight around something. “C’mere, it’s a secret” she says, leaning close to him, “Gimme your hands.” He lays his hands open on his lap, looking at her quizzically. She grins at him and presses something into his hands and closes them around it.

“What is it?” he says, her hands are keeping his closed around the small object so he can’t see it. She’s grinning and he’s confused. He feels like he’s missing something.

She leans forward and whispers in his ear, “It’s pot, you idiot. You’re kinda adorable when you’re confused.” He sputters and shoves his hand in his pocket.

“Uh, um, thanks!” He says, smiling a little as he regains his composure.

“You’re welcome” she says, all smiles.

\- - -

Andy and Taylor are finally asleep in the back seat, all the excitement from the game and the sugar crash after polishing off an entire package of oreos catching up to them. Andy is laying across the whole back seat, his head in Taylor’s lap, his feet against the door (Patrick’s put the child locks on just in case Andy kicks). Taylor is lightly snoring, her hand on Andy’s side, fist balled up in his tee shirt.

Stephanie peeks back when she’s changing lanes and smiles. Now that they’re not shouting, the straightedge pair are actually pretty cute.

“Everyone’s cute when they’re asleep” Patrick says, as if reading her mind. Stephanie glances at him and catches him smiling at her. She turns back to the road, focused on the miles stretching out in front of her. “So, no radio?” he says.

“There’s no music on it, remember?” Stephanie says with a little frown.

“Yeah” he says, disappointment lacing his voice. “Too bad we don’t have the albums.”

“You’d want to listen to yourself for hours?” she smiles.

“Well, we could’ve listened to With Knives, and the Black Cards, and Damned Things.”

Stephanie nods, “But you know we couldn’t have the instruments and the music in the same place, Patrick, it’s too risky.” He nods and turns to look out the window, watching the mile markers pass.

After a moment Stephanie says “It’s too bad we don’t have a singer in the car,” with a slight grin in Patrick’s direction.

“You’re right, Stephanie, you should sing for me” Patrick smiles, turning to her.

“I, uh” she stammers, but Patrick keeps looking at her, expectant.

“Go on, I heard you around the campfire, your voice is pretty”

Stephanie blushes bright red. “I dunno, Patrick” she says quietly.

“C’mon, Andy and Taylor are asleep, it’s just for me. I sing for people all the time.” He says, pouting a little.

“You are fully aware of how adorable you are, aren’t you?” Stephanie says, glancing over at him.

“I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about, and I resent the accusation!” he says, biting his bottom lip and looking up at her through his lashes, when he’s sure she’s looking at him.

“Fine! Fine, I’ll sing! Just, stop that, you’re gonna make me drive off the road. God!” she says, a laugh in her voice. Patrick smiles at the win, and leans back a little in his seat. “What do you want me to sing?”

“Whatever” he says, eyes focused on her, waiting.

She starts, quiet and unsure, but her voice is clear and sweet “When Rome’s in ruins, we are the lions, free of the coliseums…”

\- - -

Pete leads the little troop out on to the platform at the train station in Erie, Pennsylvania. They just have to catch another train, but they have to wait a couple hours in the station, and it’s dangerous. Pete and Joe wear dark sunglasses, Pete to hide his identity, and Joe to hide his red eyes (courtesy of a certain present and a long time spent hot boxing the tiny train bathroom). Pete has the Yankees hat pulled as far down as it can go, and Joe’s hair is tucked back into the green beanie. Faye pulls a rolling suitcase containing the safe full of albums, and the others carry heavy backpacks full of everything else. They weave in and out of other travelers, the guys keeping their heads down. Mackenzie grips Pete’s hand and he gives her a tight, nervous smile.

\- - -

Stephanie finishes singing the entire Save Rock and Roll album to Patrick. Her voice is horse, but he keeps telling her she sounds good. He keeps smiling at her, and that makes Stephanie want to sing forever. Patrick has pulled a blanket out of one of their bags and wrapped it around himself. Stephanie looks over at him, all snuggled up under a light blue blanket, hair falling over his forehead. His eyes slowly close as she finishes singing the last bit of Miss Missing You.

“Sleepy?” she whispers, pulling off the highway to a rest stop. She pulls to a stop under a flickering streetlight. She puts the car in park and reaches back and pokes Taylor. “Taylor, Taylor, it’s Andy’s turn to drive, would you wake him up?”

Taylor opens her eyes, grumpy for about a second until she realizes that Andy is laying on her, asleep, then she’s smiling.

“I’m gonna run in and grab some food, do you want anything?” Stephanie says, unbuckling her seatbelt. Taylor shakes her head, and looks down at Andy. She doesn’t really want to wake him up, he looks so peaceful.

Patrick wakes up when Stephanie opens the door, “are we there yet?” he says, half-asleep.

“Only if by ‘there’ you mean at a mcdonalds rest stop” Stephanie giggles, “Do you want anything?”

“Yeah, I’ll come with you” he says, working his seatbelt off and pushing the blanket to the floor, tossing his hat on the dashboard.

“Wake Andy up, Taylor, we’ll be back in a minute” Stephanie says quietly as she climbs out of the car.

“Alright” Taylor says, gently stroking Andy’s hair as he starts waking up from all the opening and closing of doors.

Stephanie and Patrick walk toward the rest stop, “hey, thanks” Patrick says, bumping his shoulder against Stephanie’s.

“For?” she says, bumping him back.

“For the singing” he grins and holds the door open for her.

“Oh. Well, you’re welcome” she says, a blush rising in her cheeks again. She’s so busy blushing, so busy thinking about how adorable Patrick is, that she nearly walks right into a police officer waiting in line at mcdonalds.

“Hey, hey, little lady!” the cop says, turning to her. She gasps, looking up at him, grasping for Patrick’s hand.

“Sorry” she mumbles, finding Patrick’s fingers with hers and holding tight. Patrick squeezes her hand right back. The cop looks her up and down (what is with cops and looking her up and down?). Patrick steps closer to her and wraps his arm around her.

“Oh, they’re still serving dinner, do you want to drive until we can get breakfast, honey?” he says lightly.

She turns to him, confused.

“I know how much you like the hash browns” he says, nodding to her, eyebrows raised, a tense smile on his lips.

“Uh, yeah, that sounds…that sounds great, babe!” she says, catching on. She lets Patrick lead her out of the rest stop. It takes everything she has to not break into a run the moment her feet hit the pavement.

“You don’t have any food?” Taylor says from the passenger seat as Stephanie and Patrick dive into the back.

“Cops. Drive!” Patrick pants. Andy glances back at him and puts the car into gear and they’re off.

\- - -

Another train. Another countryside out the window. It feels as if they’ve been doing this forever. Pete and Mackenzie are sitting in the seat across from Joe and Faye.

“Mackenzie, I’m booooooored” Pete says.

“I’ve got nothing for you, Pete” Mackenzie says, doodling in a notebook with a black bic pen.

“What ya drawing?” Pete says, peering over at the notebook. Now that they’re on the train, the tension is pretty much gone. They feel pretty safe as long as they’re moving. Feeling safe apparently makes Pete bored.

“Nothing, Pete” Mackenzie says, closing the notebook and looking into his eyes. “How can I help you, Pete?”

“You say my name an awful lot” he smiles when she blushes, biting on the end of the pen.

“It’s a good name. Pete.” She says, the corner of her mouth raising in a little smile. He takes the opportunity to steal her pen. “Hey, hey hey, that’s mine” she says, reaching over him to try to get it back. She realizes she’s laying across his lap as he holds the pen just out of her reach. He grins at her, like it was a plan or something.

She sits up, straightening out her shirt. She catches him glance at her as she pulls the v-neck back into place. She looks at him for a second while he slowly brings his eyes up to meet hers.

“Can I – ” Pete starts.

“Can you what, Pete?” she says, head tilted to the side, wondering what he’s going to say next.

“Can I draw on you?” Pete finishes the statement in such a way that Mackenzie is nearly positive that is not how he was going to end it when he started it.

“Yeah, sure, whatever” she says, trying for cool, and not happy like a little kid mixed with the desire to know how the original statement ended. Pete grabs her arm and starts doodling, pressing the cool tip of the pen to her pale skin, making swirls and tiny little bats and stripes and flowers.

\- - -

Now that they’ve each slept and no one is yelling, Taylor and Stephanie are much happier with each other. The next rest stop was cop-free, so everyone even got some junk food and much-needed caffeine in their systems. Taylor has entertained everyone by singing country classics, some that Andy had never even heard of. He keeps taking his eyes off the road for quick glances and smiles in her direction. Tapping out beats with his fingers on the steering wheel.

\- - -

“So, really Faye, why do you and Zak have that same tattoo? Does it mean something?” Joe finally just comes out and says it, on a train somewhere between Toledo, Ohio and South Bend, Indiana.

“Yes, Joseph, it means I was in a gang” Faye says, holding up her hand of cards. She’s very much winning this round of go-fish. Joe looks her up and down, skinny jeans and a teeshirt printed with kitties, skater sneakers, pink hair…

“Nah…do you have any threes?” he says, shaking his head, his curls bouncing a little. She hands him a card and he lays the match down on the seat between them. “Really, c’mon,I wanna know” he says, turning to her with those blue eyes.

“I told you, gang” she says “Fives?” she looks up at him, expecting to get a card, and instead gets a look that she’s not going to be able to lie to. “Like, a tiny gang. That mostly played board games, and…were married, I was married to him.”

“You were married?” Joe says. Faye nods and fiddles with the cards in her hand. “Why didn’t you just say that? When were you married? Wait. How old are you?”

“I’m 29. I didn’t just say that because it’s sorta, stupid, you know? I’m only 29 and I’m divorced, it sorta sucks.” She says, looking down at her hands. Then she meets his eyes. “Ok? Are we done with that? Can we go back to the game now? Fives.”

He hands her a card, still looking at her “And you’re still friends with him? – sixes.”

Faye sighs “Just because we were crappy at being married doesn’t mean we weren’t good friends” she hands him a card.

“Huh…I wouldn’t have guessed you’re 29” he says, smiling at her over the cards in his hand “so your birthday is…”

“About 2 weeks before yours” she says, smiling.

“Gasp! Stalker!” he says faux-dramatically.

“August 17” she replies, shaking her head “why the sudden concern, Joseph?”

“Joseph?” Pete pops his head up from the seat behind them. Faye jumps a little, she thought he was asleep again. Trains seemed to make Pete sleepy. “Why are you calling him Joseph?”

“That’s his name…” Faye says, turning to Pete and shaking her head. Pete looks at Faye, then Joe, then Faye again. Then he smiles, that smile that says he’s figured something out or has a secret, or both. He ducks back into his seat and starts whispering frantically to Mackenzie, who peeks her head over the seat for a second before ducking back down and giggling. Faye glares in their general direction before turning back to the game. “So, twos?”

\- - -

The sun is starting to break through the trees when Stephanie, Taylor, Andy, and Patrick make it to the cabins. There’s little talk while they bring the stuff inside and toss it wherever, then collapse on the nearest soft surfaces to sleep the sleep of people who have been in a car for over thirteen hours. Stephanie ends up on top of the blankets in one bedroom, with Patrick under the blankets in the same bed. Taylor makes it all the way to the kitchen to grab water bottles for her and Andy, but when she gets back to the living room he’s already asleep on the sectional sofa. She covers him with a blanket and turns the tv on to mute and reads the closed captions from the other half of the sectional for a few minutes before falling asleep herself.

\- - -

“Good Morning!” Pete announces, slamming the door open.

“Pete, it’s past noon” Mackenzie says, dragging the suitcase behind her.

“All the more reason they should be awake! Patrick!” Pete shouts, running through the house.

From the back bedroom they can hear Patrick: “Pete, get the fuck off me!”

Andy chuckles, sitting up from his spot on the couch, wiping his face “you guys did ok on the trains?”

“Yeah, it was ok” Joe answers, smiling and stealing Andy’s unopened water bottle.

They hear Stephanie’s high voice from the back bedroom: “Pete, what the heck? Give me back that pillow!” Taylor wakes up and looks around, seeing Joe, Faye, and Mackenzie, who were definitely not there when she fell asleep.

“Should I be concerned about that?” she asks, gesturing toward the hallway.

Stephanie appears, her hair is a mess and she’s dragging a pillow “I’m going to kill Pete Wentz” she says under her breath, clearly not blessed with enough hours of sleep to deal with someone as hopped up on starbucks as Pete is.

“Join the club” Joe says, smiling big and giving Stephanie a quick hug.

“Good morning, lovely” Faye says, petting down Stephanie’s hair as Stephanie glares at her. Patrick wanders out of the hallway a moment later, with Pete clinging to him.

“I missed you” Pete says.

“It was twelve hours” Patrick grates out, clearly in need of coffee.

“It was at least 14 hours” Mackenzie smiles, earning her a glare from Patrick, which she only smiles at.

\- - -

With coffee and breakfast obtained and eaten, the entire group is in better spirits, and ready to assess the situation from their new location.

“Aren’t we supposed to have a plan?” Patrick says, sipping his second cup of coffee.

“You’re the rock star, you come up with the plan” Stephanie says with a smile, shoving Patrick’s shoulder playfully. His coffee sloshes in the mug.

“We’ll think of something” Pete says, mixing more sugar in his coffee than is necessary for most species of hummingbird.

“Yeah,” Faye says, between gulps of coffee that is cold and pale with milk “we’ll come up with something.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok, so, football season is not in the summer. so, i'm sorry about that. hopefully you can suspend disbelief for that part (as you've already likely suspended disbelief that we've kidnapped/rescued fall out boy). thanks.


	6. Put On Your War Paint, Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More things happen.  
> Cabin in the woods.  
> I don't know what to say about this one, just read it.
> 
> LEAVE COMMENTS PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE. i love them.

Stephanie is standing at the kitchen counter, eating vegan neapolitan ice cream out of the carton. It’s 3:00 a.m.. She can’t sleep. It’s been two days at the cabins, and so far no plan has become miraculously obvious. Tonight Pete and Patrick are sharing a bedroom and Stephanie and Faye are sharing another in this cabin, the others are in the other cabin. Stephanie has eaten all of the vanilla and is moving on too the strawberry when Pete comes in, hair disheveled, pajama pants clinging to his hips, and a notebook in his hand. He nearly walks into Stephanie before he notices her standing in the dark.

“Oh, hey, good morning, I guess” Stephanie says, stepping back to avoid being run over.

“Sorry, sorry. Hey! Are you eating Andy’s ice cream?” Pete asks.

Stephanie looks down at the carton as if she just noticed it sitting there “ah…yeah…maybe…I couldn’t sleep.”

Pete grabs a spoon out of the drawer nearby and digs into the chocolate section of the ice cream. “It’s pretty good” he says around a mouthful.

Stephanie smiles “What are you doing up? Shouldn’t you be asleep?”

“Nah, my brain doesn’t make the connection between beds and sleep, makes me want to do pretty much anything else.” He says, staring out the window, expression unreadable.

Stephanie takes a half a step back “Are, are you hitting on me, Wentz?”

“What? No, sorry, I mean, no” he sputters, looking at her, waving the spoon in front of his face, getting ice cream on the counter “No, I meant it makes me want to write” he says, gesturing to the notebook he’s set on the counter, open to a page filled in with scribbles around doodles in blue pen.

Stephanie rolls her eyes “Thanks, Pete. What are you writing?” she chuckles, grabbing another spoonful.

“No, no, Steph, you are, you’re adorable, but I, well, I kinda got a thing for your friend” he says, smiling to himself. Stephanie looks at him, questioning, and he leans in and whispers “Mackenzie is…she’s kinda, like, hot, or, beautiful or something, and cute, and she, I dunno, she makes me want to buy her stuff or something. Like, if I wasn’t a fugitive, if I was, I dunno, a famous rock star or something.”

“Or something” Stephanie says, grinning.

Pete bumps her shoulder with his, grinning sheepishly. “It’s a good thing I write better than I talk, huh?”

“It sure is, otherwise we wouldn’t have had any albums to sa—” Stephanie stops, dropping her ice cream spoon, the sound it makes hitting the floor echoing loud in the early morning.

“What, Steph?” Pete says.

“That’s it! That’s what we have to do! Oh my god it’s so fucking obvious!” Stephanie says, a little louder than absolutely necessary at 3:00a.m. Patrick appears in the hallway a half a second later, wiping sleep from his eyes.

“Why are you so loud? Stephanie, are you eating Andy’s ice cream?” Patrick says, looking confused and sleepy.

“I got it, Patrick, I got it! I know what we have to do!” Stephanie says excitedly and Patrick and Pete both look at her expectantly.

“What the fuck?! It is three in the morning! What the hell?” Faye says, stomping down the hall “Pete, are you eating Andy’s ice cream?” Pete hides the spoon behind his back and tries to look innocent.

“Faye, Faye, I got it, I know what we’re going to do!” Stephanie says, eyes lit up with excitement.

“Is it: shut the fuck up and let Faye go back to sleep before she wrings your neck?” Faye says, irritation absolutely drenching her voice.

“NO! Seriously! We’ll make an album!” Stephanie loudly exclaims.

Pete, Patrick, and Faye are silent, staring at Stephanie.

“What?” Patrick finally ventures.

“Ok, so this is the thing. We want to save music, right? We have to get people excited, make something that’s big enough for everyone to rebel this stupid music prohibition going on, and the best way to do that is we can record something!” Stephanie speaks quickly.

“Steph…just…how?” Faye stutters, still sleepy, but the irritation fading in her voice.

“We can get black market recording equipment; we can set up, like, a recording studio in the back bedroom!” Stephanie rushes on.

“I can do that! I might have a connection…” Faye says, warming up to the idea, excitement starting to seep into her voice. Pete and Patrick look back and forth between the two excited girls.

“That is a really good idea, Steph” Patrick says, turning to Pete who’s gone back to eating the chocolate ice cream “Pete, are you writing?” Patrick says and pulls the notebook across the counter to read it before Pete can stop him. Pete grasps for it as Patrick chuckles at the scribbles. “Well, those aren’t lyrics, Pete.”

“She’ll like them” Pete mumbles, snatching the notebook back and holding it to his chest.

“Yes, I’m sure she will, sorry” Patrick says, smiling at Pete, shaking his head a little “Stephanie, that’s a great idea, and we should really look into it in the morning, can we go back to bed now though?”

“Can _we_ go back to bed?” Stephanie says, giving him a look while turning to put what’s left of the ice cream back in the freezer.

“I mean, um, back to our beds, and sleep, until a normal time in the morning” Patrick says, blushing.

“Yeah, c’mon Steph” Faye says, leading Stephanie toward the bedroom they’re sharing, completely oblivious to the implications of the back-and-forth between Stephanie and Patrick. Stephanie follows, dragging her feet, stealing a glance back at Patrick. Patrick winks at her as she closes the bedroom door, and she giggles right before it shuts.

“So, Pete, got yourself a bit of a crush on Mackenzie?” Patrick says, opening the freezer and taking the ice cream back out.

“Yeah, a bit” Pete answers, blushing and holding the notebook closer to himself. Patrick opens the carton and begins eating what’s left of the strawberry ice cream, and Pete digs back into the chocolate, both men leaning on the counter.

“So,” Patrick says, mouth full of ice cream “You gonna tell her?”

“I dunno, ‘Trick, I mean, the situation kinda sucks right now, ya know?” Pete says, then runs his spoon into the corner of the carton, scooping up the last of the chocolate ice cream “Andy’s gonna be sorta mad that we ate all his ice cream”

“He’ll get over it” Patrick says, smiling to himself.

“You’ve got a bit of a crush too” Pete grins, starting to steal some strawberry ice cream. Patrick blocks his spoon.

“I don’t know what you mean” Patrick says “and stop trying to eat my ice cream, you ate the chocolate, the strawberry’s mine”

Pete grins and licks his spoon “I saw you wink at her.”

Patrick blushes bright red “I, uh, is it that obvious?” and Pete nods at him, scooping up a big spoonful of strawberry ice cream while Patrick’s distracted.

“Yup” Pete says, finishing off the last of the ice cream.

“Oh well” Patrick says, rolling his eyes like he doesn’t care, which clearly he does.

“No, no, I approve, ‘Trick, she’s cute, and smart. How long did it take us to not come up with that bit of insomniac genius?” Pete says, tossing his spoon into the empty carton.

“You think it’ll work?” Patrick asks, taking Pete’s spoon out of the carton with his fingertips, trying not to get sticky melted ice cream on his hands and tossing it into the sink, then running water over his hands.

“It’s got a better chance of working than anything we haven’t thought of” Pete replies, watching Patrick throw out the empty carton and wipe down the counter, “Bed?”

“Yeah, c’mon, let’s try to get a few hours, right?” Patrick says, turning towards the hallway.

“Nah, you go, I’m gonna try to finish this” Pete says, opening the notebook back up.

“Pete, nothing rhymes with ‘Mackenzie’” Patrick says, smiling.

“Something has to!” Pete grins back at him “besides, I don’t think she’ll care if it rhymes.”

“You’re probably right. G’nite, Pete” Patrick waves as he heads down the hall.

“Night, Patrick.”

\- - -

In the morning (the real morning, like 10:00), Stephanie rushes over to the other cabin and wakes up Taylor. “Taylor, Taylor, I know what we’re going to do”

“First of all we’re going to buy more ice cream” Taylor says, sitting up in bed.

“Oh, you know about that?” Stephanie says sheepishly, playing with the string on her hoodie.

“Oh yeah…there was a rather pissed-off vegan stomping around our cabin after his six o’clock run, thank you for that” Taylor says, “Ok, what are we going to do?”

At that moment Faye bounds into the room and sits down next to Taylor on the bed “I made the calls, we got the stuff lined up.”

“What stuff? What are you talking about?” Mackenzie says, emerging from the bathroom “why do you sound shifty before noon?”

“You look particularly amazing this morning, ‘Kenz, how do you do that to your eyebrows?” Faye says, smiling up at Mackenzie.

“No, nah-uh, you won’t distract me that easily, what are you talking about?” Mackenzie says, flopping down on the bed “I can tell you’re plotting, what’s going on?”

“Yeah, sure, Posh, we’re going to record an album. Well, we’re gonna help the guys record an album” Faye says, poking Mackenzie.

“Wait, we’re doing what? And did you just call me a spice girl?” Mackenzie says sitting up.

“I did” Faye smiles and Mackenzie shakes her head.

“So! You made the calls, Faye? You got the stuff lined up?” Stephanie says, turning to Faye.

“What stuff?! What are you talking about?” Taylor practically yells.

“Ok, ok, the recording equipment” Faye says, trying to calm Taylor down.

“How? I mean, isn’t it illegal?” Mackenzie asks

“Very” says Stephanie, smiling.

“Why are you smiling?” Taylor says, shaking her head at Stephanie.

Faye interrupts: “Because this plan is awesome, that’s why. Ok, so, connections, right? I actually have some, not here, but back in Albany, my…my ex-father-in-law has been a stage hand basically his entire life, so I made a call to Zak, he made a call to his dad, he made a call, et cetera et cetera, and now we have a pickup in the next town over. Mics and pedals and cables and a real drum kit and a copy of garage band and a computer to run it.” Faye smiles, rather satisfied with herself.

“Wow, that’s actually pretty cool” Mackenzie says.

“Ok, yeah, that’s cool, but who’s going to get the stuff?” Taylor asks. Faye and Stephanie look up at her “NO, no, no, not me? Me? You want me to go? I’m not even awake and you want me to do the equivalent of a drug deal?”

“Well, more like a drug pickup, and I mean, I’m going with you, I just want you to drive” Faye says quickly.

“You can get more ice cream while you’re out” Stephanie ventures.

Taylor gets up and stomps out of the room, she is not awake enough for this. She nearly stomps right into Andy “Whoa, whoa, whoa, are you ok?” he says, stopping her.

“No, I am not ok, my friends want me to go on a dangerous mission, and it’s not even noon yet, and I’m awake, and just, no, no I am not ok” Taylor says, getting angrier by the second.

Andy abruptly wraps her in a hug “Shh, it’ll be ok” he murmurs against her hair. Taylor is shocked for a second, but adjusts, and leans into the hug. “Now,” he says, pulling back a little to look at her face “What are you talking about a mission? Huh?”

“To get recording equipment, and a drum kit” Taylor says, sniffling a little. Andy’s eyes light up at the last part of that sentence.

“I’ll come with you” he says.

“But, it’s illegal, and dangerous, Faye’s coming. No, Andy, you don’t have to.” Taylor shakes her head quickly.

“Yes I do, we can’t let you guys risk everything all the time. I’m certainly not letting you two try to wrestle a fucking drum kit _for me_ into that car and not risk anything for it myself. I’m coming, that’s the end of it.” Andy is determined, and Taylor knows she’s not going to be able to convince him otherwise. Faye comes around the corner and sees Taylor and Andy standing close.

“I’m sorry, Taylor, you’re right, this was me and Stephanie’s idea, I should go – ” Faye says, wringing the bottom of her shirt in her hands.

“No, it’s ok, Andy’s coming with us!” Taylor says, smiling.

Faye looks up at Andy “Really? I mean, it’s really dangerous and, there won’t be much room in the car with the stuff in the back, uh –”

“Really, I’m coming, when are we doing this?” Andy says.

“What are we doing?” Joe comes around the corner, hair curling out of his morning ponytail.

“Illegal things, actually –” Andy turns to Joe, “This is basically your forte, you should come with us.”

“Oh, I’m flattered” Joe says, rolling his eyes at Andy.

“No, no, no, no one else, it’s risky, no –” Faye says, looking between Joe and Andy.

“You don’t want me to come on your little mission? I’m hurt” Joe mocks.

“Joseph, I just, it’s, I don’t want anything to happen to you guys” Faye says.

“Oh, it’s Joseph now, is it?” Joe says, and looks at Faye, who looks at the floor “Well, _Joseph_ is going to get himself a cup of coffee, and then you’re gonna tell me what’s going on, and then, apparently, we’re all going to do some kind of mission.” Joe says, starting toward the kitchen.

“Is Joseph going to stop referring to himself in the third person?” Andy says, following.

“Nope!” Joe calls back.

After an explanation, a few cups of coffee, a few pairs of sunglasses, and hats for the guys, they’re piling in the car. Andy is driving, Taylor is sitting next to him, with Faye behind her, and Joe sprawled across the rest of the backseat, feet in Faye’s lap, “What? This car is too small for me, all you midgets are fine, but I need room!”

“You’re five ten, not exactly a giant over there” Faye says, rolling her eyes at him, but not pushing his feet off her.

Andy drives in silence, as they get closer to the appointed spot, a nervous energy overtakes the car. Joe is tapping his feet against the door, Andy is tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, and Taylor is biting her fingernails.

“There, the Starbucks,” Faye says, pointing.

“Really, Starbucks? Really?” Taylor says, turning to Faye as Andy turns the car into the parking lot.

Faye looks at Taylor, “Yes, really, I have to go in and meet them, and then they’ll tell me where we’re going to make the exchange, is that alright?” Taylor huffs at Faye and crosses her arms. Faye gets out of the car, “Does anyone want a coffee while I’m here?” no one answers “Fine, I’ll be right back.” Faye closes the door and walks toward the coffee shop.

After a few moments Joe speaks up “Should someone go with her?” Taylor glares at him “Ok, ok, I’ll go” He says, unbuckling his seatbelt and getting out of the car. He crosses the small parking lot in a few easy steps. He opens the door to the Starbucks and sees Faye standing in line for coffee “Hey, I decided I do want something!” he calls and waves. She smiles, relief apparent on her face. When he gets closer he leans in and whispers “So, where are they?”

“I don’t know yet, they said they’d know me by the name I used when I get my coffee.” Faye says, hands stuffed in the pockets of her jeans.

“Sneaky” Joe says, winking at her a little.

“Yeah” she rocks back on her heels. She gets up to the counter and orders a vanilla cappuccino, whole milk, very sweet, when the cashier asks her name she replies “Allie” and the cashier scribbles it on her cup. Joe looks at her, but orders his coffee quietly, Faye pulls cash out of her pocket to pay for both of them. They stand at the counter, and Faye tries desperately not to look around, tries desperately not to look like she’s waiting for someone. Joe puts his arm around her and she looks up at him, startled.

“Chill, it’s just coffee” he says, smiling. She weakly smiles back at him, but leans into his side. She plays with a string hanging off the edge of her t-shirt.

“Allie!” a barista yells “Cappuccino for Allie!” Faye goes up and grabs the cup, fingers trembling and takes a sip. It’s too hot to taste, but the burning is at least a little grounding. Joe grabs his coffee off the counter and turns to her.

“Now what?” he whispers close to her ear

“I don’t know” she hisses, glancing around the room. She picks a table by the window and takes a seat, Joe sits at the chair across from her.

“Are you sure – ” Joe asks, but is interrupted by Faye clearly noticing someone. Joe looks up and his jaw drops. The guy walking across the small room is black, and big, his hand dwarfing the white paper cup containing his coffee.

“Hello, Allie” he says, voice low.

“Hello, Johnson” she replies, smiling. Joe remains silent, but manages to close his mouth.

“I’m going to a party” the man continues.

“Oh, whereabouts?” Faye asks, noncommittally, “Maybe I’ll bring some friends.”

“Astoria” the man says.

“On Saturday?” Faye answers, unable to contain her smile.

“Yes. Here’s the address” he says, sliding a piece of paper across the table to her “I hope to see you there.” He nods quickly to Joe and turns and leaves. Faye tucks the paper into her pocket and sips her coffee. She smiles at Joe, who’s still wide-eyed.

“Drink your coffee, we have to go soon” Faye says, taking another sip. Joe complies, and soon they’re hopping back into the car.

As they’re buckling their seatbelts Andy says “I know, this is weird, but I could have _sworn_ I just saw Marcus” Faye giggles and hands him the paper containing the address.

“Can you get there?” Faye asks.

“Yeah, it’s only a few miles away” Andy says, turning to her “Now?”

“Yeah, now, let’s go!” Faye says, and Andy puts the car in drive.

About twenty minutes later they pull up to a normal suburban home. On a quiet cul-de-sac, a few trees around, but nothing out of the ordinary. The garage door opens and the guy they met at Starbucks gestures for them to drive in. Andy does, and the moment the garage door closes behind the car he jumps out and has his arms around the bigger man “Marcus! How are you, man?”

“Chillin’. Heard you guys needed some of your old stuff.” Marcus says, patting Andy on the back and moving to give Joe a quick hug.

Faye steps out of the car and opens the door for Taylor “We sure do, I really appreciate you doing this for us” Faye says, smiling.

“Hey, I do what I can, it’s not like I want this stuff here anyway, it’s getting too hot to keep it around” he pulls a tarp off of something at the front of the garage and reveals Andy’s drum kit.

Andy slaps Marcus’ back “Thank you” he says, voice shaking a tiny bit.

“Hey, hey, no problem, just get it out of here, ok?” Marcus nods and smiles. Andy rushes over to the kit to begin disassembling it so it will fit in the car, and Marcus directs Joe, Taylor, and Faye to another pile of things: pedals, cables, microphones, and all manner of useful things for making music.

“I can’t thank you enough” Faye says, loading things into the car, shoving cords and mics under the seats.

“One more thing” he says, lifting the top of a box sitting on a counter. He pulls up several layers of paper before holding out an apple laptop “I don’t think there’s anything on it, but the programs are there, so that’s a start.”

Faye takes the computer from him and hugs it to her chest “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome” he says, putting a hand on her shoulder. He turns to Andy “Hurley! You done with that kit?” Andy stands and the drum kit is in smaller, organized pieces around him.

“Yup.” Andy replies “Taylor, help me get it in the trunk?” Taylor rushes across the room, picking up smaller pieces of the kit and carefully arranging them in the trunk of the car amid blankets they shoved there for this express purpose. Andy picks up the bass drum, with the other drums nested inside it “Thanks Marcus, this is awesome, really.”

“Yeah, thanks” Joe pipes up from where he’s busy covering guitar pedals with blankets in the back of the car.

“Alright, you guys be good now, try to stay out of trouble” Joe and Andy nod their heads as Faye and Taylor get back in the car. Marcus pulls the Joe and Andy into one more quick hug “Good luck” he says quietly as they get back in the car. The garage door opens and Andy throws the car into reverse, taking a different way back to the cabin than when they came. They do stop for ice cream on the way back, and Taylor gets both vegan neapolitan and regular vanilla and rocky road, ‘to keep everyone out of the good stuff’ she says. Andy smiles at her from the driver’s side as he drives the car though the curves of the back roads.

They get back to the cabins and unpack the stuff, Andy takes the rest of the afternoon putting the kit back together, Joe plugs in his guitar and plays a few chords. Pete yells into a microphone when it’s left unattended and everyone jumps.

“I was just testing it” he smiles.

“No, this is how you test it” Patrick says, crossing the room to take the mic out of Pete’s hand “Allie I was so good back then, but I wonder if I’d be so good…” Joe laughs as Patrick finishes the chorus “What, I thought you liked that song?” Patrick says.

“No, man, I do. I’ll tell you later” he says, patting Patrick’s back as he passes him.

Eventually the sun sets and the evening turns into night and they all go to bed, secure in the knowledge that, at least, they have a better plan and a better way to get it done than they had only 24 hours ago.


	7. Put On Your War Paint, Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this is fiction. obvs.  
> you read the other chapters, you get the gist.  
> there will be at least 8 chapters...it's stephanie's fault ;)  
> enjoy.

Joe is walking into the living room after spending all afternoon in the back bedroom recording studio, working on a guitar solo; so far they have one good song nearly finished. As he passes the closed bathroom door, he hears singing.

“Girl, I'm gonna show you how to do it, and we start real slow, You just put your lips together, and you come real close, can you…”

“What the hell?” Joe says.

“She’s been doing that for about a half-hour” Patrick answers, not looking up from his game of solitaire.

“What is she singing?” Joe says, leaning towards the door to hear better.

“Well, now it’s the ‘Whistle Song,’ I believe. She’s got a nice voice, although it’s hard not to judge her musical selection.” Patrick says, moving more cards from his hand to the table in front of him.

“Does she know that we can hear her?” Joe asks, shaking his head.

“I’m gonna say no” Pete says from the couch, notebook in his lap, “based on how she is not holding back on the, uh, dirtier parts of the song.”

Joe leans to the door again, moving his hair out of the way so he can press his ear against the door “Hey guys, she stop—” he’s interrupted by Faye opening the door. He nearly falls on her before righting himself again.

“What ‘ya doing, Joseph?” Faye asks, one hand holding a towel around her, the other hand still on the doorknob.

“Nothing, nothing” Joe says, practically running across the room and throwing himself on the couch by Pete’s feet. Faye looks around the room at Patrick, studiously ignoring her, Pete, scribbling in his notebook, and Joe, tapping his feet quickly and examining the ceiling.

“So…you could hear me, then?”

“We could all hear you!” Taylor says, coming in from the kitchen with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in her hand, Mackenzie’s following her with an ice cream cone. Faye blushes bright red and buries her face in her hands.

“Sorry, sorry, I’m just gonna go…die now – I was singing the effing whistle song!? Could someone have knocked on the door and told me? What the hell?” Faye says, her voice gaining volume.

“You do have a nice voice, though” Taylor says, smiling a little.

“Are you, even, what? – that’s not the point, Taylor!” Faye says, storming off, nearly running into Andy. Andy moves out of her way and continues on towards the couch. A bedroom door can be heard slamming down the hall.

“What’s her problem?” Andy says, sitting down next to Joe.

“We heard her singing” Mackenzie tells him, while leaning over the back of the couch, trying to get a look at Pete’s notebook. Pete clutches the notebook to his shirt and lifts an eyebrow at her.

“Don’t read it yet.” Pete says.

“Why? Are you writing an epic love song?” Mackenzie smiles, licking her ice cream cone. Pete stares at her just a second longer than can be passed off as innocent. He snaps out of it and looks down.

“No, just, later. Ok?” Pete says, not meeting Mackenzie’s eyes. Mackenzie pouts a little, but moves across the room and sits down. Faye comes back out into the living room, wearing pajama pants and a teeshirt, hair in a braid down her back. Stephanie walks past her, sitting down at the table next to Patrick.

“Ok, so I’m _never_ singing in the shower again” Faye says, flopping down on the floor next to the coffee table. She reaches over and steals Taylor’s sandwich, taking a bite and smiling. Taylor reaches across the table to take it back, glaring.

“You could just pick better music next time” Stephanie says, watching as Patrick shuffles the cards in front of him and starts dealing them to himself and her.

“Stephanie, you are just full of good ideas” Patrick says, looking up at her, setting down the deck of cards.

“What do you mean?” Stephanie asks.

“I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before, you guys should all sing on the album.”

The girls all turn to look at Patrick, with varying shades of confused written into their expressions.

After a moment Taylor sputters, “Are you serious?”

“Yeah, I mean, if you want to,” Patrick says, looking at Taylor, then Faye, who is staring at him in disbelief, “do you want to?”

“Not two weeks ago I had you tied to a chair, and now you want to let me sing on a Fall Out Boy album? Are you real?” Faye says, eyes wide.

Everyone laughs. Faye blushes.  “And I’ve _almost_ forgiven you for that!” Pete says, grinning.

\- - -

It’s been a few more days, and the songs are coming along. Patrick gets up every morning and goes over the notebook that Pete’s written in (usually Pete crashes only an hour or two before Patrick wakes, Patrick is usually left to pry the notebook carefully from Pete’s fingers as he snores on the couch), picking out lines and hooks and sentences positively dripping with convoluted metaphors. Then Joe joins him at the kitchen table, after a cup of coffee or two, and they work out melodies, heads together, not changing out of their pajama pants until late in the afternoon. Andy hovers nearby, re-arranging beats and pointing out words that should be stressed, lines that can be left out, ways that choruses can elegantly run into verses. By the time Pete wakes up and declares he has another great idea (he must dream them), Patrick is explaining to Taylor where her voice can fill, or outlining the harmonies to Stephanie.

One late morning, Taylor and Faye are giggling in the kitchen, just out of sight of Patrick, Joe, and Andy sitting at the table working over another song.

“What ‘ya doing?” Joe calls in. Faye peeks her head around the corner.

“Taylor and I are re-dying our hair with kool-aid.”

“Why?” Andy says, looking up to see Taylor come around the corner mixing a bowl of bright blue liquid.

“Because my hair is clearly supposed to be purple” Taylor says, smiling “Andy, you should let us dye your hair!”

“No” Andy says, shaking his head turning back to fuss over the drum line over the chorus, tapping the table with his pen and then scribbling down something.

“Joseph?” Faye says, gesturing to the sweet-smelling blue bowl, “you want blue hair?”

“I’m pretty sure the combination of these curls with that blue would translate more to ‘circus clown’ than ‘punk rock’” Joe replies, shaking his head “How about it, Patrick?”

“Yeah, let ‘em dye your hair” Patrick says, distracted by the laptop on his lap.

“No, no, Patrick, you, you’d look good with blue hair” Joe smiles. Patrick doesn’t look up from the screen.

“Please, Patrick, please” Taylor says “I made way too much blue”

“Are you high? Patrick Stump is not gonna let us dye his hair” Faye says.

“Faye, you know the closest I’ve ever been to being high is when you locked me in that closet at your apartment” Faye blushes and ducks her head, missing the smile between Andy and Taylor.

“I said I was sorry”

“Hey, what do you mean I won’t let you dye my hair? What’s that supposed to mean?” Patrick looks up, as if he just noticed everyone was talking around him.

“Just that you have a look, and you stick to it. You always look…like Patrick Stump” Faye says, shrugging “You’re just not the kind of guy to have blue hair all-a-sudden.”

“I could be”

“Yeah, but you aren’t” Taylor jumps in.

“Can we just dye the tips?” Patrick says, setting down the laptop. Joe laughs, covering his mouth with one hand and glancing to the ceiling.

“What?” Patrick looks at him, confused. On the other side of the room, Faye is trying to hold in a giggle. “What?” Patrick says again, glancing between Joe and Faye.

“Just the tip” Faye whispers before doubling over giggling.

“That’s it, no, no, I’m going to work on this song, I almost have the harmonies worked out – ” Patrick says, reaching for the laptop.

“No, c’mon Patrick, I’m sorry, ok, we can make just the ends of your hair blue, it’ll look awesome” Faye says, standing up straight and trying not to laugh.

“And if it sucks, you can just cut it out because it will only be the ends” Taylor adds, looking eager.

“I’m not thrilled that you already have a contingency plan” Patrick says, raising an eyebrow.

“Go on, man, literally the worst thing that happens is you’ll have blue hair” Joe says, sitting down and taking the laptop away to settle it on his own lap. Andy nods, then leans over to look at the computer with Joe. Patrick moves as if he’s going to take the computer back “No, don’t worry, I’ll save the edits separately and then we’ll compare notes, take a break” Joe says, waving Patrick away.

Patrick grumbles, but follows Taylor and Faye into the kitchen.

About a half-hour later, Patrick emerges from the kitchen with a towel around his shoulders to keep blue off his shirt, and blue-tipped hair. At that same moment, Stephanie returns from her shopping trip, stops in the doorway, and nearly drops the groceries.

“You like it?” Patrick asks as Stephanie crosses the room and tosses the bags down on the table, apples rolling toward the laptop. Andy catches one before it falls to the floor and takes a bite, watching Patrick and Stephanie. Stephanie spins her hand in the air, indicating that she wants Patrick to turn around. He complies, cocking his head when he meets her eyes again “So? Is it awful?”

“Well, your hair is blue, and you smell like a popsicle” Stephanie says. Patrick looks confused before Stephanie continues, “but it looks good.” Patrick smiles and runs his hand through his hair.

“Thanks” he says, a little blush rising in his cheeks.

“Oh, just kiss already” Pete says from the doorway where no one had seen him come in. Stephanie and Patrick jump. Stephanie shakes her head and starts picking up the groceries that have spilled all over the table, and Patrick helps her. They both reach for the same package of cookies and Patrick accidentally lays his hand on Stephanie’s. They both blush at that, and Patrick makes a quick exit, quietly apologizing to Stephanie and glaring at Pete on his way out.

\- - -

“Pete, Pete, Pete, what’s this?” Mackenzie is shaking Pete awake. Everyone else is in the studio, or out running (ok, only Andy’s running), or in the kitchen making dinner. In the living room it’s just Mackenzie, Pete, and a piece of paper torn out of the notebook clutched in Mackenzie’s hand.

“Huh? Mackenzie? What’s what?” Pete says, turning to her, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand.

“This, I found it in my room” Mackenzie says, shoving the paper towards Pete.

“What – ” Pete takes the paper from her and reads it. He sits up quickly “Patrick” he grumbles.

“So, it’s lyrics, for Patrick?” Mackenzie asks, her expression falling slightly.

“No, it’s – you weren’t supposed to see it yet, it still sucks. Did Patrick give this to you?”

“I mean, he might have, I guess, it was just in my room earlier.”

“I’m sorry, this is really weird” Pete says, scratching the back of his head “you, you weren’t supposed to see it till it was done.” Pete puts his head in his hands.

“So, it is for me?” Mackenzie says, her eyes lighting up.

“Yeah” Pete says, nodding slightly, still hiding his face with his hands.

“Pete?” she says, reaching to touch his shoulder. He looks up at her, eyes unsure, eyebrows drawn together. She grins and looks at the paper and reads quietly “ _maybe not as dangerous in the early morning light, but just as beautiful, pale light like a dream forgotten at sunrise, but I’ve seen too many sunrises, and not enough days with her._ ”

“Well, ok, it sounds a little better when you read it” he shrugs, blushing.

She smiles, “ _Saved by being stuck, put together untied, telephone ends in one, and I have one I want to call, and I’m one without (a phone or way to reach her)_ ”

Pete looks away and bites his bottom lip, “Yeah, I don’t know what I was doing with that line, it was supposed to be a pun I thin—” he’s cut off by Mackenzie quickly kissing him.

“It’s beautiful, Pete, thank you” she whispers.

“Oh, oh. OH! You like it?” Pete stammers, searching her eyes.

“Yeah, you big idiot” she laughs, and he finally relaxes.

Pete wraps his arms around Mackenzie, pulling her down onto his lap “You like it? Really?”

“Yeah.” Mackenzie says, smiling “I really like it,” she pauses for a second, then she whispers, “and I really like you, Pete.”

Pete runs a finger across her jaw, gently tipping her face to his “You do?”

Mackenzie nods slightly, eyes flicking to Pete’s lips, then his eyes.

“Wow” Pete whispers, more breath than voice. He closes the space between them and kisses her. Mackenzie puts her arms around his shoulders and pulls him closer.

“Dinner’s ready! Oh—” Stephanie stops short, walking into the living room to see Mackenzie sitting on Pete’s lap, arms around each other, definitely kissing.

Mackenzie turns to Stephanie, a little smile playing on her lips “Thanks, Steph, we’ll be in there in a sec.”

“O-kaay” Stephanie says, quickly backing out of the living room and retreating to the kitchen.

Mackenzie smiles and giggles, resting her forehead on Pete’s, “Dinner?” she asks.

“We’ll continue this later” he smiles, hugging her tight one more time before she gets up.

\- - -

“Thanks, Patrick.” Pete says out of nowhere, joining Patrick at the kitchen table at 9:00 a.m. with a cup of coffee in hand, remarkably early for him.

“You’re welcome” Patrick says before looking up at Pete, who’s hair is fluffy and everywhere, lips slightly swollen, and bereft of shirt “wait, what are you thanking me for?”

“For leaking that poem to Mackenzie”

“What, that worked for you? The poem?” Patrick shakes his head “well anyway, that moved quickly.” Patrick says, assessing Pete’s appearance.

“Oh, no, Patrick, we didn’t, like, _do_ anything.” Pete says quickly.

“Did you kiss her?”

Pete smiles, “like, a lot”

“Good for you, Pete.”

“Why so grumpy, ‘Trick? Are you blue?” Pete says, reaching out a hand to mess with Patrick’s hair. Patrick ducks out of the way.

“Nothing, it’s nothing. The album’s almost done. You’ve done up some really nice lyrics.”

“You want me to help you write a poem?” Pete teased, laying his head down on the table and looking up at Patrick.

Patrick glares “No, thanks”

“Good, I think I used up all my good word play in Mackenzie’s poem”

“She must really like you. I read that poem, it was super-cheesy.” Patrick teases, smiling. Pete shoves him a little.

“I really like her.” Pete smiles.

“That’s awesome, Pete” Patrick sighs, leaning over the notebook open on the table in front of him.

“Did you tell Stephanie that you like her?” Pete asks, suddenly sitting up and looking a bit more serious (well, as serious as he can with his hair like that).

“What, Pete, no. No I didn’t, and I don’t know if or when I will. Please drop it.” Patrick says.

“Ok, ok. Sorry. It’s just, she’s obviously into you. And I have recently done some research that would strongly suggest that kissing is fun.” Pete smiles. Pete can’t stop smiling.

“Thanks Pete. Now, shut up. I’m trying to make sense of this.” Patrick gestures to the pile of papers and the notebook in front of him.

“Since I’m up, can I help at all?” Pete asks, tilting his head.

“Really? Thanks, yeah.” Patrick says, looking up at Pete.

“I’m gonna get a coffee first, you want one?” Pete stands from his chair.

“Very much so, thank you.” Patrick nods.

Pete bounds off to the kitchen, and Patrick sighs. Just a few more songs before this is an actual album, ready to be released. Or leaked, rather, almost ready to be leaked out via anonymous posts, twitters, fake fb profiles. Faye and Stephanie had spent days crouched over the phone and driving to internet cafes and libraries, trying to open the accounts few days apart, from public computers, to minimize the traceability. Friends in other states had been contacted, accounts created on the same days, that would also release the album, to throw law enforcement off the scent. Hopefully it would work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if someone wants to make an edit of Patrick with blue-tipped hair, that would be super-awesome.


	8. Put On Your War Paint, Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the fluffy chapter. This chapter didn't want to do what i wanted it to do, it wanted to do this, so i let it.  
> it's fluffy as fuck. if you like these characters and want to see them be all fluffy, then you will probably like this chapter.  
> there will be at least one more chapter, so i hope you like this story, because it's still going.

Mackenzie and Faye are harmonizing on the last verse of the last song. They ended up with 8 songs, so it’s more like an EP than an album, but it should still work.

“Again.” Patrick says, clicking on the laptop.

“Patrick, it’s done, we’ve sang this part like a thousand times”

“I know,” he says, looking up at Faye sheepishly “Just once more, I promise.” He starts the music again and nods to Faye and Mackenzie when they’re to start singing. To Faye, it sounds pretty much the same as the other thirty times they’ve sang it, but Patrick seems pleased when the last note fades out, “Excellent, thanks!”

Pete comes in silently and stands at Patrick’s shoulder, Patrick jumps a little when Pete starts talking “They sound good” he smiles down at Patrick, “Can I steal my girl back now?”

“Yeah, sure,” Patrick says, shaking his head and smiling. Mackenzie runs over to Pete, jumping into his arms, and he spins her around in a hug, knocking over a mic stand in the process.

“Could we keep the gratuitous displays of affection to rooms without expensive recording equipment, please?” Faye says, putting the stand back up, but still smiling at Mackenzie.

“Sorry” Mackenzie smiles “C’mon Pete, let’s go make popcorn and watch a movie.” Mackenzie says, taking Pete’s hand and leading him out. Stephanie passes them in the doorway and grins after them.

“They sure seem happy” Stephanie says, looking over Patrick’s shoulder to the laptop screen “Are you done with that song?”

“Done recording, now I have editing and mixing and everything else…” Patrick turns to notice Stephanie leaning close, head nearly resting on his shoulder “Oh, hi” he says, smiling.

Faye is putting some of the equipment away, setting microphones and wires carefully in labeled boxes and sliding them into place on shelves. She turns to see Patrick quickly turn his head back to the laptop, and Stephanie bites her lip, her eyes full of things she wants to say. Faye speaks up while she crosses the room towards the door “Patrick, let me know if you want any help, if you don’t mind, I think I’m gonna watch that movie with Mackenzie and Pete.”

“I don’t think they were actually going to watch a movie” Patrick says, not lifting his head.

“Oh, yeah, you’re probably right,” Faye chuckles “I’ll go watch a movie myself then, maybe Taylor and Andy and Joseph will want to watch something” she mumbles as she exits the room, leaving Stephanie and Patrick alone.

It’s silent for a long moment, except for Patrick's quick typing every few seconds. “What ‘ya doing?” Stephanie says, immediately shaking her head, cursing to herself for sounding so silly.

“I’m labeling all the files” Patrick says, not turning.

“Patrick”

“Yeah Steph,” Patrick says, his eyes not leaving the glow of the screen.

“Patrick, I – ” Stephanie says, setting her hand down on his shoulder. Patrick looks up at her suddenly.

“Is something wrong, Steph?”

“No, no, don’t worry about it” Stephanie says, standing up and starting to leave.

“No, Stephanie” Patrick says, grabbing her wrist and spinning around in his chair “what did you want to say? Sorry, I’m paying attention”

“It’s not a big deal, Patrick, I’ll tell you later, when you’re not busy” she weakly grins, looking down at him.

He looks up at her, making puppy eyes “please tell me Stephanie, please, please please?”

“Um, I, I don’t know…” Stephanie sputters, looking at Patrick’s eyes.

“C’mon, Stephanie” he says, pulling her closer with his hand that’s still on her wrist “What did you want to tell me?”

“Just – ” Stephanie leans down and quickly kisses Patrick on the lips. She pulls away, blinking “um, yeah, that.” She blushes and looks down at the floor.

Patrick lets go of her wrist. Stephanie closes her eyes and shakes her head. “Sorry” she whispers, and turns to go.

“No, c’mere” Patrick says, standing and grabbing her hand “Steph” he whispers, pulling her close. She’s softly breathing, still staring at the floor. He tips her face up to his and waits for her to meet his eyes. She finally looks up, and he gently smiles “hey Stephanie” he whispers, and leans forward to kiss her. He slides his hand into her hair, the other hand still holding her hand. He pulls back a little, breaking the kiss, “is – is that what you wanted to tell me?” he says softly, breathy.

She nods. He wraps his arms around her and kisses her again. She wraps her arms around him and pulls him closer. This time she breaks the kiss, smiling, giggling a little.

“What?” he says, smiling back at her.

“I just, I did not think it would be this easy, I’ve been thinking about this for weeks”

“Why didn’t you tell me you wanted to kiss me?” he says, resting his forehead on her forehead.

“I wanted to be sure, that you wanted to kiss me.” she says, biting her lip.

“Are you sure?” he whispers.

“Well now I am” she chuckles, standing up on her toes to kiss him again.

“Hey Patrick, we’re watching –” Joe comes around the corner into the room “Oh god!” he says, covering his eyes with one hand “Is there any room in this cabin without people making out? Can we implement some kind of sign on the door policy?! Can anyone close a goddamn door?!” Joe spins on his foot and stomps down the hall, still muttering.

Stephanie laughs, tucking her head against Patrick’s chest.

“You wanna go watch a movie with everyone?” Patrick says, chuckling with her.

“Yeah, sure. Can I sit on your lap, kiss you and make Joe super-uncomfortable?” Stephanie smiles up at him.

“That sounds awesome, let’s do that!” Patrick says, eyes wide, taking Stephanie's hand and leading her out of the room.

“No, no Patrick, I was kidding!” she giggles, following him down the hall.

They come into the living room to see Taylor and Andy sitting on one end of the sectional couch, Faye sitting in the middle, and Joe settling himself on the floor in front of Faye.

“You wanna watch the movie? We’re watching Knocked Up” Taylor says.

“Why are we watching Knocked Up?” Stephanie asks, pulling Patrick to a spot on the couch.

“Because it only cost, like, two bucks in the bin at the grocery store” Faye says, combing her fingers through Joe’s hair. Andy picks up the remote and hits play on the movie. Stephanie leans into Patrick on the couch, and he puts his arm around her.

“No, no, if you two are going to do that you go sit, like, on the other side of the couch, away from me with all that” Joe says, gesturing with his hands in Patrick and Stephanie's general direction.

“Shut up, Joe” Patrick chuckles, pulling Stephanie closer. Joe moves his head to glare at Patrick, but ends up getting his hair pulled.

“Ow” Joe says, looking up at Faye “You told me you wouldn’t pull my hair.”

“Sorry, Joseph” Faye smiles, and Joe puts his head back down. Faye starts separating his hair to braid it. Andy glances at Faye and Joe, then at Patrick, who nods at him slightly, acknowledging. Patrick glances to Taylor, then Andy, a questioning look on his face. Andy smiles a little and shrugs. Patrick quietly chuckles and turns back to the movie. Stephanie looks up at him, questioning.

Patrick shakes his head a little “nothing, nothing” he smiles and presses a kiss to her forehead.

Joe’s already laughing at the opening scenes of the movie, and Faye’s already analyzing it out loud, and Taylor’s already telling her to shut up, laughing.

“Where’s Pete and Mackenzie?” Stephanie asks.

“Don’t ask” Joe says, not turning his head.

“They’re…busy” Faye says.

Everyone settles down to watch the movie. About halfway through, Mackenzie and Pete walk into the living room, giggling and holding hands. “Can we watch the movie?” Mackenzie asks, gesturing to a spot on the couch.

“It’s halfway over, but sure” Stephanie says, snuggling closer to Patrick so Pete and Mackenzie can sit down. Pete flops down, pulling Mackenzie onto his lap. He glances over at Patrick and lifts an eyebrow at him. Patrick grins.

“Could the ‘couples’ side of the couch over there stop it with the giggling, I’m trying to watch a movie” Joe says, waving a hand towards the side of the couch occupied by Patrick, Stephanie, Pete, and Mackenzie. Patrick chuckles and Joe turns to him “what?”

“Nothing, nice hair” Patrick says, laughing quietly.

“Why? What?” Joe says, reaching back and feeling the braid.

“Nah, it looks good” Pete says, chuckling.

“I don’t understand what you guys are laughing about” Joe says, turning back to the movie.

\- - -

In the morning, Andy comes in from his run and sees Patrick already sitting at the kitchen table, laptop open, headphones on, staring intently. Andy sits down at the table next to Patrick, and Patrick lifts off the headphones.

“So, something finally happened with Stephanie?”

“Yeah,” Patrick blushes.

“Good for you” Andy says, patting Patrick's shoulder.

“You?”

“Me?” Andy says, a confused look on his face.

“Yeah, I mean, aren’t you, like…don’t you like Taylor?” Patrick asks.

Andy looks off to the side, thoughtful.

“I mean, I just thought, like, you guys seem close, that’s all” Patrick stumbles over his words.

Andy keeps looking confused “I think I need a cup of coffee, you want a cup of coffee?”

Patrick nods “Yeah, sure.”

“I’ll help you with the songs, ok?” Andy asks as he stands up.

“Yeah, sounds good” Patrick says.

That day Patrick is dedicated to working on the music, layering the instruments and vocals, most of the day Patrick is walking around with headphones on, the laptop in his hands in front of him, or sitting on the couch with the laptop in his lap. The songs slowly coming together. When Joe catches Patrick asleep at the kitchen table later, Joe carefully pulls the headphones off Patrick’s head and puts them on, hitting play on a few of the tracks, listening and smiling. It’s almost ready.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there is no beta on this, in fact, i just wrote and posted it (it's late, i have to go to bed). sorry for any errors that sneaked in.


End file.
